Go Ask Alyss
by 0Life-is-a-Song0
Summary: When The Joker's biggest secret is landed in the lap of an innocent girl, the tension escalates, fast. Suddenly, it's not just a game anymore. Batman wants to save, Gordan wants to help, Drake wants to serve, and The Joker wants her dead. COMPLETE!
1. The Joker

Ok, I've never written for Batman or anything like that, I usually do Jane Austen, but I've always loved his comics and movies

**Ok, I've never written for Batman or anything like that, I usually do Jane Austen, but I've always loved his comics and movies. So, when I found this place, I immediately began forming a plot in my head. So, review with what you think, and I don't care what you say because I'll probably keep typing even if you hate it. **

**That's just me **

**This is after Dark Knight (LOVE IT!!) and The Joker has escaped. I haven't incorporated Harley into this like I've seen it done because I don't have much information on her. But, I will bring in other people I do know about. Gotham is in need of their dark hero, but you might just find him tied up with a little personal problem! Read to find out. Sorry if it starts out dark, I just kind of typed… **

** thanks!! **

--

Fear rules people. It's the drug that seeps into your veins, hindering action and stopping all thoughts of hope. There is very little that can be done about such a drug, except maybe the comforting hand of reassurance. Though, in the situations that the horrors of Gotham City can put you through, there is rarely reassurance that everything will be alright. But, fear can spring from the simplest of things, such as a strange noise when you're alone at night, or it can rise like a black tide from a knife to your mouth.

Yes, I did say a knife to your mouth.

The knife in question was to the mouth of a guard by the name of Peter Brooks. He was a middle aged man with two sons, a daughter, and a wife. His wife was a rising jazz singer who was probably by now dead in a gutter, as she was supposed to be. His two sons, Peter JR. and Jack were most likely gassed to death in their rooms by carbon monoxide, as they were supposed to be. The daughter, Alyss, was to be knifed on the way back from her job (her job would be burned to the ground). And Peter… well… he was soon to follow.

"Do you know how I got these scars, Pete?" The grisly voice seemed dry, tired and out of use, but Peter knew better. This man had raved and talked and rambled for weeks, day in and day out until they would drug him to sleep. His laughter would cause even the hardened cops in the Asylum to shiver and quicken their steps when they heard it. The Joker was far from tired, and it showed in his sardonic grin.

"N-no… Mr. Joker… sir." Sweat dotted Peter's brow, and The Joker noted this with satisfaction. He licked his painted lips, relishing in the feel of the coating on his skin, and in excitement, he applied pressure to the man's lips.

"Well- I'll tell you, Pete. You see, my father was a guard. And- and not just any guard." He smacked his lips and pressed a little harder on the blade, sneering in pleasure as a small bead of blood formed. "He was a guard to the… the, ah, governor of Georgia. He hated this… job you could say. He also hated, well, me." With a chuckle, he pulled the knife away and let it slip between his own lips, loving the feel of steel in his mouth. Pulling it out, he continued. "He would drink and drink and drink and drink until he couldn't stand up. If he could stand, he'd drink some more while he –look at me son, I'm not done talking- while he would beat my dear old mother and me." He slid the knife down the man's cheek, twittering at the shiver the guard gave. "Sh-sh-sh, my story isn't done yet, sonny. So, ah haha, one day he comes home already drunK. He began beating my mother until she… well, she couldn't move very well.

"So he turns to me, swinging his bottle of –LOOK AT ME!!- His bottle of… ah, it was alcohol! He takes a biiig gulp of it, asking me why I wasn't happy with myself. Why couldn't I appreciate what he had done for me? So, Pete, he breaks the bottle of his drinK," He clicked his tongue on the word, as if appreciating the memory, "and slips a chunk of it in my mouth." With a twisted grin, he slid the knife back into Peter's mouth, and began pressing back on the side of the lips, making another cut, slightly deeper. "He, well, he didn't like me fighting back very much… noT aT all, actually. So, he begins sawing at my mouth, singing with gusto the whole way, smiling." He began making a sawing motion with his hand, letting the blade lightly nick the skin before continuing. "So now, I appreciate what he's done for me. I appreciate what you've done too! Can't you see me smiling?"

With a few flicks of his wrist, he slit Peter's mouth and then his throat, his bellowing laughter echoing the halls of the insane asylum.

--

Across the city, a light flashed in the sky. It was in the shape of a bat, but the sign was a fleeting one before it would abruptly shut off. Then, it would be back again.

"Commissioner Gordan, what are you doing?" A young officer stared in slight shock as he saw his boss leaning into a spot light, messing with a few wires. The man gave a slight "oof!" before leaning back and falling onto the ground again.

"Haven't you heard, sir!? You can't be up here-"

"The Joker's escaped. We need him." With a grunt, Gordan motioned with his thumb back to the spotlight that had a crudely designed bat on it. Jamming his hands into his pockets, he braced himself for an argument.

"Sir, you said we don't need him now. We're to arrest him on the spot, sir." The young officer, Drake Bently, motioned as he talked, stepping closer with a nervous air.

"You know he's the only one who can catch that man. If you could call him a man…" Gordan frowned as Drake suddenly gave a gasp and reached for his gun, his eyes wide. Turning around, Jim wasn't surprised to see a man in a dark cloak, not two feet from them.

"Why are you trying to signal for me?" He asked in a throaty growl. His eyes gleamed in contrast to the black material surrounding his whole person, and he pointedly ignored the gun now pointed at him.

"Drake, put it down." Jim Gordan turned to face his young, eager colleague, his eyes gentle but firm. "If we're to stop this before it starts, we can save lives." He reached forward and grasped the gun firmly, but wasn't surprised when Drake relinquished it, not without reluctance.

"What will happen if someone sees us?" Drake asked in a low whisper, turning a glare towards Batman once again before looking back at his boss. "You made the rule to chase him, sir."

"That rule is still in progress. And I made a task force to chase him, someone else at the head of it. I'm not going to be responsible for attempting to bring him down. I believe he's helping our city, and if you don't agree you can leave." Jim took a deep breath and turned back to the patiently waiting man behind him. If you could call him a man, that is. Gordan repressed a shudder as he recalled seeing him fight dozens of men at once, coming out of the group unharmed.

"The Joker has escaped the Asylum he was contained in. He had people on the outside that helped him too. The main guards' families were killed, as well as the guards." His voice broke slightly as he spoke the last part, remembering the gruesome ways that the families had been killed. Every death had varied, but there was always one similarity; a long scar stretching from cheek to cheek, across the mouth. The sign that it was The Joker's doing.

"Any leads?" His growl lowered in shock, but he gave no other sign of surprise. Batman hardly showed emotion.

"He's heading to the heart of the city, that's all we know."

"Towards the wealthier." It wasn't a question.

"He would start big now?" Drake seemed too shocked to move, let alone ask something intelligent.

"Oh, with the likes of The Joker, it's never small." Gordan gave a disapproving glance in his colleague's direction before turning back to the shadows. He wasn't surprised to see no one there.

"Where'd he go?" Drake asked in awe.

"To see what he can do to stop this before it gets out of hand."

"You'd trust Gotham City to the likes of a masked man?" Gordan smiled.

"I trust him with my life."

--

"Excellent resume, you're hired." Alyss was shocked. She hadn't expected to be hired to be the secretary for the multi-billionaire, Bruce Wayne, but here she was, shaking hands with the number one bachelor in the city, living it up like there was no tomorrow.

"I'll begin right away, sir, you won't regret this!" Alyss gushed, a large smile breaking over her face. Bruce smirked (he hardly really smiled, she noticed) and nodded slowly.

"I don't expect to." He said smoothly before turning around with an, "excuse me, please," and vanishing into his private office. Alyss fell back into her new chair with a dazed look. She couldn't figure out how she had been hired with a resume like that, but somehow, it worked. She didn't have credentials, she didn't have previous bosses remarks exclaiming how good she was, she hardly had much to say except, "I'm a hard worker and I like to accomplish the tasks set before me".

Hardly an "excellent resume".

With a sigh, she signed into the network and began setting up her new account as the secretary. If it was one thing she was good at, it was computers.

"Good morning, Ms. Brooks, I understand you've just gotten this position?" Mr. Wayne's personal friend and board member, Mr. Fox, smiled down warmly at her. "That's quite an accomplishment. Mr. Wayne's rather picky about his employees."

"I'm just flattered I was chosen, sir." Smiling brightly, she gestured to the papers in front of her. "Anything I can do for you?" Mr. Fox didn't answer though; he just stared at the girl in front of him, as if trying to figure her out.

"Have I seen you in the papers, Ms. Brooks?" He asked slowly, hesitantly. Alyss subtly shifted the papers on her new desk, hiding the paper underneath a few documents. She flashed a bright smile.

"No… I don't believe so, sir. Unless I wasn't aware of it, that is!" She straightened herself up higher in her chair, her eyes glass-like, like a doll's. "Is there anything else, sir?" She laughed lightly.

"No, I just need to see Mr. Wayne." Mr. Fox gave an engaging smile before turning towards the door.

"Mr. Wayne, Mr. Fox is here to see you." She paged him through the speaker set on her desk.

"Send him in, thank you." Came the simple reply. With a smile, Alyss waved Mr. Fox in and it was only then that she caved in. Slumping into her chair, she let silent sobs wrack her body, momentarily letting grief consume her mind. She wiped tears away before they could smear her makeup so no one would suspect her of crying. Grabbing the newspaper, she quickly threw it, quite literally, into the trashcan. After a few moments though, she felt ridiculous for her sudden outburst, and she calmed herself down, thinking how lucky she was to work at Wayne Enterprises.

And how lucky she was to be alive, of course.

--

"What can I do for you, Lucius?" Bruce smiled up at his friend, a question in his eyes. He clicked out of the program he was in, and stood up, shaking hands.

"You hired Alyss Brooks?" Lucius asked, skipping right to the point. "You know she was the girl who-"

"Yes, the only one who survived The Joker attacks a few days ago." Bruce nodded slowly, guilt settling in on his conscious. He hadn't meant to let her have the job, but he knew how hard it could be to find a new job that paid enough to support yourself, especially in Gotham. The cloud of death would follow her everywhere she went, and people would deny her, simply because of the things that had happened. Feeling pity, he had sought her out after the paparazzi, his offer to good to resist.

"You know what will happen if he gets word she's here?" Lucius grabbed his friend lightly by the shoulder. Bruce nodded absentmindedly, his gaze towards the door.

"He will begin to target Wayne Enterprises, I know. But what was I supposed to do?" He looked back at his friend, his eyes earnest. "The least I could have done was just forgotten about her."

"I know… just be careful."

"I always am."

--

**That's all for now, read and review!**

**-Death-Cab-4-Cutie**


	2. The Scarecrow

**Thanks for your review! I'm going to try to make this a little more interesting, add a little bit of a plot to it.**

**So, tell me if it's getting better, or if I need to stop. The only way to do that is to review!!**

* * *

_The narrows smelled rank of putrid gasses and waste. Alyss walked quickly, not wanting to be caught out too late. She wanted to get home as soon as possible, back to her parents and brothers. She hated being out after dark. With a sigh, she pressed on, her eyes taking in all that they could in the dim light. Paranoia could save your life in this place, she had come to find._

_"Where do you think you're going?" Someone whispered behind her. Alyss slowly pulled a knife out from her jacket pocket, her breath hitching in her throat. She dreaded having to resort to using a knife, but she knew it might have to be done. _

_"Home." She said simply, her head still held high, her walk the same pace. She could hear more people gathering, but she ignored it. Maybe if she acted like she owned the place, they would leave her alone. _

_Right._

_"I don't think you really want to go home tonight." Someone grabbed her by the waist, laughing. "You see, there won't be much to go home to." Alyss pulled her knife out and lashed out, her eyes wide with terror. She felt the blade connect with something, and heard a man shout out in pain. With a dull thud she fell to the ground, but panic induced adrenaline informed her that it was far from over. _

_"Oh, now you're going to get it." Came another voice, and Alyss lifted up her knife for defense, but for some reason, she never needed to. There was a sound of struggling, and then a cry of pain. Alyss closed her eyes in fear and breathed the stench of the narrows, trying to calm down. She knew panic was going to set in, and she wanted to be ready to unleash it on the men after her. She could feel the dirt and grime seeping into her pants, but she focused on trying to calm her racing heart, knowing the effects if she didn't. She heard something move, and with closed eyes, she swung her arm in the general direction of the sound. _

_Someone caught her wrist, and hauled her up from the ground. In shock, Alyss could only watch as her knife was taken from her by a man in all black. She stared openly, fear and shock on her face. His outfit was, of course, that similar to a bat, but he seemed so menacing in it that for a second she almost ran away. Then she realized that he had saved her. He was the reason why she was alive. _

_"Th-th… thank you." She whispered softly, staring up into a shadowed face. He seemed expressionless, but something in the way he stared at her made it seem like more than a mere blank gaze._

"_Are you ok?" She flinched at the harsh snarl of his voice. _

"_Oh yes, thanks to you." She gave a hesitant smile. With a nod, he turned around,_

_but she caught his arm, suddenly desperate. That desperation then turned to shock as she realized what she had just done. Did she really just grab the arm of a wanted vigilante? _

_"I… wait, please. I just want to say that I support you. I don't believe everything that the police say about you. I think you… you're in the right." She looked down, suddenly embarrassed. Here she was in the middle of an ally, rambling to an outlaw about how she believed in his cause? He must think her crazy. But when she looked up, he was still there, a hint of a smile on his lips. _

_"Sorry, you can go save other people now. I'm fine." She gave a shaky laugh and straightened her back. Alyss hated showing weakness in front of other people. _

_"Thank you. Next time you pull a knife on someone though, it's best to keep both eyes open." He handed her knife back to her, and Alyss looked down at it, shock still on her face. As she looked up again though, she was taken aback when she saw that no one was there. _

Alyss shot up from her bed, sweat on her brow, and her heart racing. She gasped in air as she stared around, a knife clutched in her hand. Looking in each corner with wild eyes, she finally calmed down enough to put down her weapon of choice.

"Just a dream." She murmured to herself. "It's just a dream."

But she knew it wasn't just a dream. It was a recurring nightmare. Ever since her family had been murdered, she couldn't see anything else in her mind's eye but Batman rescuing her. She didn't see her dead and butchered family; she hadn't come to grips with that yet. No, she had the luck to see his haunted eyes stare down at her every night, telling her silently how stupid she was that she needed his help. Shame wore down on her like a dead weight.

With a sigh, she rubbed her temples, trying to find the type of weariness that would let her sleep. It often took two or three hours to drift off for her. Not that she was worked to the ground or anything, her new job was simple. Mr. Wayne didn't push her and let her go at her own pace. Much different than the playboy billionaire he was to the press. At least he hadn't tried to take her on a date. Alyss didn't know if she would be able to resist his charms. She had heard he could be a real player with the women. If anything though, he hadn't made a single move on her. Instead of being affronted, Alyss felt strangely flattered.

Looking over at the clock, Alyss realized she still had four hours until it was time to get up for work. With a sigh, she rolled out of bed and lay on the cool wooden floors and tried to let her body catch up to the fast pace of her mind. When they finally began to work together again, she slowly began push ups, her face set in a grimace of pain as she did so.

* * *

Batman scoured the city in a fashion slower than usual. He was tired, and truth be told, he was not really feeling like changing personas this night. For some reason, he hadn't been up to doing that for many nights since the Joker escaped. He knew he had to, but it became harder, knowing that if he did come out the winner in their deadly tangle, he would still be an enemy to everyone.

_Well, not to everyone_.

Her words still echoed in his head, desperate, fearful, but also thankful. He hadn't gotten that a lot lately. Mostly it was, "Stay the hell away from our city!" or, "Take off that mask, then see how powerful you really are!" He knew it was the sacrifice to rid this city of evil, but he still hated it. Accepted it, but hated it. The price sometimes didn't feel like it was enough. Losing Rachel, his closest friend, no, love, showed him that somtimes everyone loses. Grief weighted on his conscious, almost as much as the guilt he felt.

"Alfred." His voice was hardly a whisper.

"Yes master Bruce?" He could hear the fatigue in his butler's voice.

"I'm on my way home, don't wait up for me."

"Very good sir."

He was gliding down through the ally when something large struck him in the chest.

* * *

He had to smile at himself. Really, it was congratulatory. Here he was, most wanted criminal, and he just waltzed into a gang's hideout without a single gun being pointed at him. He had wanted to blow the place up, but there was so much potential havoc he could wreak that he didn't want to simply blow the place up anymore. It had been so long since he had been able to play these kinds of games. It was good to not have a plan.

"Hellooo Gotham's finest." He crooned with a sneer. Everyone was staring with revulsion and fear, good. That's what they were supposed to do. These kinds of people were so easy to manipulate. They were the ones who were predictable. You could never go wrong with a good, solid dose of dread.

"What… no reply? I'll just talk to myself then, ah haha. While I'm listening though, I want to know something." He knocked over a stack of boxes as he walked, relishing in the fact that there was a twisted joker on the cover of the box. Leering, he picked it up and laughed maniacally as he stared at it.

"Well, two things. Number one, you see, I'm after a certain masked sewer rat. You should all know him by name. And two… well, who sells these types of guns? It's a new brand… one I can relaTe To." He smacked his lips together and stared hauntingly at the obvious gang leader. When the leader waved his men away from him and nodded his head to The Joker, he then turned the corner to see a woman with two children. One was quivering in her arms, but the other stood up straight, a glare in his eye. Not surprised, The Joker leaned down and brought his face close to the boy's.

"Are you a friend of the batman?" He asked with amusement as he licked his lips. The boy shrugged and then turned his gaze to the scars on his face. His eyes held no fear in them, or revulsion. It was an honest dose of curiosity. The Joker cackled at that.

"Where'd you get those?" He asked bluntly, jabbing a finger at one. It was then that The Joker was surprised. Not letting it show, he hauled the child onto his knee, much to the woman's protests.

"Dylan, no, please, I-"

"Sh, sh, sh, sh, sh, lady, I'm not going to hurT him... yeT. I just want to tell the little boy a bedtime story heheheh." With a wide grin that stretched from ear to ear, he pulled out a knife.

"I'll tell you how I got these delectable scars…"

* * *

Bruce fell hard onto the ground, his eyes shut, his chest heaving as he struggled for air. Looking down, he saw what had struck him; a large shovel. Picking it up, he pulled himself to his feet and stared around, eyes narrowed as he tried to find the source of the attack. Though, you could hardly call it an attack. A shovel? Bruce tossed it aside and crept down the ally, more annoyed at the petty attempt than wary.

"Did it hit him?" Someone asked angrily.

"Of course it did, didn't you see him crumple to the ground?" This voice was smooth and slick, like oil.

"What, do we do now? Boss didn't specify."

"Well now we go get him." Bruce restrained the urge to snort. It was just a couple of low class thieves.

"You think we can take out the Batman?"

"No."

"Then why are we going after him?"

"Do you want to be the one to anger The Joker?" Freezing his movement, Bruce then slipped around to the other side of the two, getting as close as possible without making a noise.

"I'm just saying, Dr. Crane, trying to fight him will be one hell of a party." Ok, so it wasn't just low class thieves.

"At least I'm invited." With a growl, Bruce grabbed the larger man and threw him against the wall, diving right for his old enemy, The Scarecrow. Dr. Crane seemed unprepared and in a panicked manner he sidestepped while he fumbled with his mask. Not giving him the chance, Bruce flung a sharp cord around his arms, stopping all movement as punched the man for a dazed effect. He wrapped the trip wire around himself before wrapping an arm around his victim and plunging into the depths of the Narrows.

* * *

"Give this to Commissioner Gordan." A police man held a disgruntled looking Dr. Crane by the arm. Dr. Crane hardly moved but to spit on the ground as he was passed to another cop.

"Who's he from?" Asked Drake suspiciously, dragging the criminal along with him. The other man shrugged.

"Who do you think?" He snapped. Drake froze and looked back at Dr. Crane.

"I'm not saying a word." He sneered, but he didn't have a chance to move as Drake plucked a symbol of a bat from off of the man's collar. With a curse, he handed Dr. Crane over to another cop to lock up before racing up the stairs.

"Commissioner Gordan, he's bringing in criminals again." Drake gasped, his face read from running. Jim looked up from his paper work, and smiled as if he already knew what Drake was trying to say. With an authoritative air, he stood up, and walked out of the room with Drake following, not having to guess where he was going. Sure enough, they reached the roof in record time. Gordan walked towards the spotlight, but didn't have to turn it on because perched nearby was the man he was looking for.

"So, you're bringing them in again, are you?" He asked in a level voice. All traces o f happiness vanished from his face as he looked over at the dark shadow. Batman stood up, his height causing him to slightly tower over the Commissioner.

"Once one appears, they all appear." Drake still hadn't gotten used to his throaty snarl as he spoke.

"So now that The Joker's back, you think you can just go in and do our job now?" Drake asked, slightly angry. He resisted the urge to quiver when Batman turned his gaze to him.

"I never stopped doing my job."

"Your job?!"

"What he's trying to say is… why so public about it?" He asked, stepping between the two. Batman looked at them slowly, his mask covering any emotion he was feeling.

"The Joker is his boss." He said simply, motioning below where Dr. Crane was now being held.

"You didn't answer my question!" Drake snapped, stepping closer.

"I never said I was going to." Batman turned and began walking away, his cape flapping out behind him.

"We're not thankful!" Drake shouted after him. Gordan shook his head at the young cop, and turned back to see that Batman had stopped. He turned his head slightly, and said in harsh words, "You don't have to be." And then he was gone.

* * *

**So, that was short, but I'm getting them out fast since I've noticed that people update quick in this place! So this chapter was not what I was really going for, but tell me what you think!!**


	3. The Penguin

Thanks for your review

**Thanks for your reviews! And I know I'm jumping ahead and around with all sorts of P.O.V's and stuff, but it's not for nothing. I'm incorporating different lives together slowly until they're all as one. Meh, anyway…**

**I'm trying to come up with something a little better, I know this is a big too loose to be considered a real plot yet. So… on we go!**

**Wait, I forgot something… Alyss is 23 by the way. Bruce is twenty seven.**

**Disclaimer- So, forgot this two chapters back. Not like I'd try to say this was mine. Anything you recognize from Batman isn't mine. There you go.**

* * *

"Alfred, why am I hosting this party again?" Bruce adjusted his tie, his eyes glazed with boredom. He was prepping himself with the attitude he knew he would have to have to pass as a young and spoiled rich kid. He knew he would have to smile at people who didn't really mean well for him, he would have to have a beautiful woman on his arm that he didn't really like, he would have to hear snide talk of how he had burned his manor down, and he would have to trash talk his other half with a smirk on his face.

All in all, not a fun evening.

"Well sir, I believe it's because the rich are bored, and the Wayne manor is rebuilt. Why not celebrate?" Alfred smiled good-naturedly as he inspected Bruce's attire. It was a black and white party, so his charge wore a black pin stripe suit of the newest Dior fashion. Money well wasted, according to the general public.

"I'd better watch my alcohol than… wouldn't want to burn this down again." He smiled, but Alfred could see the pain in his eyes as he turned away from the mirror to look around the master bedroom. The manor had been an almost exact replica to the old one, the only difference being a couple of color schemes and a few changes in furniture. The master bedroom was still the same with the dark and relaxing colors and old style furniture. Bruce walked around the room for a second as he began to grow into character, his face pained as old memories flashed through his mind.

"No sir, I think once was enough." Alfred disrupted Bruce's thoughts before he went too deep into grief. Bruce's servant could easily see signs of when his master was getting in too deep with his thoughts on such matters, and he knew now was not the time for such troubling things.

"Maybe…" Bruce shook his head before turning back to his mirror and checking his appearance one last time. He knew he looked every inch the playboy he was supposed to be.

Yes, everything was according to plan.

* * *

Paint was such a wonderful thing. It was so easy to mesh and mix colors, to make a story out of mere tints. With a wide smile, The Joker applied the white paint with a practiced ease that always gave inspiration to new terrors he could find. It always put his thoughts in order. Not like they needed adjusting. No, his thoughts were just where they needed to be.

Scattered.

With a grin, The Joker took the paint from his newest mind to corrupt and began applying the red smears over his scarred mouth. The cool texture felt good against his skin, and thinking back, The Joker couldn't remember a time when he had been more handsome. His stringy green hair flopped over white skin and darkened eyes from the blackness surrounding it. The red paint made his smile seemed deadlier, more evil. Just how it needed to be.

"Joker… where are we going?" Dylan jumped from his stool and walked towards the man who intrigued him to no end. He watched his "boss" (what he had been told to call him) pull a very ugly purple suit coat over a green tie and similar colored shirt. His suspenders had diamond shapes patterning over them, and with a laugh The Joker pulled on them sharply, causing them to pop loudly in the otherwise silent room.

"We've been invited to a party. An-and not just any party… it's Mr. Bruce Wayne's party." He licked his lips and watched Dylan's jaw drop. Ah, the boy knew who that man was. Who didn't? The prince of Gotham was going to get a party, The Joker would make sure of that.

"We were invited?" Dyaln asked, aghast. He had never seen the man before, but his parents- no, don't call them that anymore- no, Cindy and George had always spoken of how he was squandering his money away. That man was rich enough to buy the entire city, but he didn't. Dylan didn't know why. If he had that much money, he would.

"No, of course we haven't been invited! Do you think they think that we think that they'd think we're that important?" The Joker's voice turned harsh as he suddenly began having a fit of laughter, and Dylan flinched. He hated making The Joker angry. It was hard to tell what whether he was really angry though. His moods seemed to blend too easily, and Dylan suspected he was what Cindy and George would call crazy.

"We're not?" He asked, his mouth dropping slightly. With a gasp of pain though, he clamped his mouth shut. If he opened his mouth too wide, the skin would break open and bleed on his new smile. It was an honor, they said, to get The Joker's smile and live.

Yes, Dylan was a lucky boy.

"To them, nooo, we're not. We're just insignificant people belooooow them. That's all this is, Dylan; this is where we show them just how important we are. Face it; their little party would be boring if we didn't show them the fun. Let's light their world on fire heheheh." Smacking his lips together, The Joker turned to see a suddenly eager boy standing before him, his too wide smile reminding The Joker slightly of his own.

"Can I make the fire?" He gushed in excitement, his face bright with anticipation. The Joker leaned in, eyes glinting like steel.

"We'll see. But first, Haha, let's get you into costume…"

* * *

Alyss examined herself in the car's mirror as she drove quickly down the streets of Gotham. She looked down at her cell phone and cursed when she saw how late she was. The radio station played a cheesy love song as she swerved around a large van of people. Naturally, they sped up, nearly bumping into her with their fender. Switching lanes again, Alyss had to congratulate herself when they sped up again and nearly collided with a red Mazda.

She was on her way to Wayne manor where she would be subjected to smiling and talking with people she hardly knew. Not that she was complaining; she didn't have much planned for her evening anyway. After work she mostly tried to forget about why she worked there and why she didn't walk down the narrows to get to home anymore. Though that was a crummy place to live, it was home.

"Stop that Alyss." She whispered to herself as she felt herself tear up. Now wasn't the time to cry. Even though her family's funeral was this coming weekend, she still wasn't ready to face that. She could hardly believe they were gone. Now she had to see them buried? It was too much to handle. Especially on a night like this. She was supposed to be the cheery secretary that was only invited because it was her boss, after all.

As she pulled up to the drive, Alyss wasn't surprised to see cars slowly making their way up the long driveway to a very familiar house. Who hadn't grown up in Gotham wishing they had lived there? She could remember when Bruce's parents died; it was all over the news. Though she could hardly understand why everyone was upset, she did know that Bruce was sad. If she had glimpsed him around town, he was silent, sullen.

"Name please?" Alyss hadn't realized that a man stood near her car door, it being held open for her. Stepping out, Alyss quickly handed him her invitation, and gave him her name. As her car was pulled away for valet parking, Alyss walked up the many stairs before her to the actual entrance way. The doors were massive and wide open to welcome the steady throng of people.

_Here goes nothing._

* * *

"Oh Bruce, I was looking everywhere for you!" A very pretty girl walked through the multitude of people and met up with the small group of people Bruce slightly trusted. He was still in cold waters about them, which was why he was with them. Knowing their ideas and beliefs in the small things would let him know if they could be trusted into a closer circle of people. Not that that circle would be truly trusted.

"Ah… Amber, I was wondering when you would show up!" Bruce lied, his eyes warm with a faux welcome. Truth be told, he didn't want to run into his ex- girlfriend, but here she was, white empire gown and everything. With a smile, she linked a dainty arm with his and she then looked at everyone else.

"Amber, this is a few of my good friends, Mr. White, Mrs. White, Mr. Jacobs, Mr. Goodyear, and Miss Casey. Miss Casey is from France, she's touring the fine city of Gotham with her modeling agency." Bruce let his smile linger on Miss Casey before turning back to a very unhappy Amber. She managed to smile at each of them before turning her eyes back to Bruce.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially you, Miss Casey." She let her eyes flicker over in the European's direction, but the blond haired model wasn't even looking her way. She seemed bored with the much older people around her.

"I wonder…" She mused, her accent heavy, "what would have to happen to have that masked man show up here." She looked back into the group, her eyebrows raised. "What is it you call him?"

"Oh, he would be the Batman, Casey." Mr. Jacobs smiled at everyone. "And I don't think he's going to show up at a party such as this anytime soon. Look at us. We don't need help from the likes of him."

"You know, I hear that that man is back to taking criminals and dropping them back at the police department. After everything he's done to them, he's acting like he's doing them a service!" Mrs. White, an older woman with strict morals, shook her head in disgust as she spoke.

"I think he's wonderful. The cops can't get them obviously, why take that right away from someone who can do it?" Amber gushed, her eyes sparkling. Bruce had to inwardly laugh at this. Why did Batman always have to be brought up when he was there?

"Why would he need a mask to do it? If he wanted to save people, join the police force. Isn't there a slogan or something, 'go police' or something like that?" Mr. Jacobs rolled his eyes.

"That would be, 'go army', Jacobs." Everyone laughed politely at the man's blunder.

"And what do you think, Mr. Wayne?" Casey asked, her eyes glinting. "Do you think he's a good man, going and saving all of those people? Or do you believe what the Gotham police have to say?" Everyone grew silent as they looked at a very amused Bruce.

"I think the police twist things, naturally, but there are other ways to save people than to run around in a bat suit." He laughed along with the group, but Amber gently detangled herself from the group with an excuse about getting a drink. Bruce wasn't sad to watch her leave. He also wasn't surprised to see Casey leave, and when she came back, she took a place next to Bruce, pointedly warning away any other females.

"I think I'd better go and greet the rest of my guests so as not to appear a rude host. Mrs. White, Mr. White, always a pleasure." Bruce smiled in a way he hoped was apologetic before he led his date for the evening away from them. As he glanced about the room, he noticed something that made him almost stop mid-step. The Penguin was walking around the room, strutting in a way only he could, his beady eyes looking down on everyone. When they made eye contact though, he bent his head in acknowledgment, and moved on.

What was the Penguin doing here? Bruce wracked his brain for answers as Casey talked about her modeling contract. First The Scarecrow, now The Penguin? Why were his old enemies popping out of the woodwork? It didn't add up, but Bruce could feel something big was coming. He hoped he wouldn't need Batman to help clean it up.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Alyss felt awkward. She hardly knew any of these people as they roamed the large ballroom, talking to one another like old friends. She had never been good with the whole political attitude the rich had; saying things but meaning another had never been her strong suit. Unless it was covering up her grief, of course. As she walked past a very old man in a tuxedo, she was surprised when she heard him gossiping along with his fellow friends about the host.

"Can't believe the young man kept it much the same as it was before."

"You know exactly why he did it. It appears sentimental."

"Oh, he can't be all that bad."

"I was there when he drunkenly dismissed us from his presence. Yes, he can."

"He does squander money like it's nothing."

"And you see how he's a womanizer. Appalling." Alyss turned the corner and had to make sure she hadn't laughed out loud. These people here were openly talking about the man that had shown enough courtesy to invite them into his home!

"Something funny, ma'am?" Someone asked, and Alyss jumped as she found herself face to face with a kind looking old man.

"Well, yes… to me it is." She smiled hesitantly as the man handed her a drink.

"Don't mind me, ma'am, I'm just the butler. I was only wondering why a beautiful young woman such as yourself was hiding back here when she should be showing off in front of the men around her." He had a soft British accent, and as he spoke, he kept eye contact, much different from the other servants she had seen.

"I don't fit in well with these people." She admitted quietly, like it was a secret. She looked down, as if ashamed, but looked back up at the sound of a chuckle.

"That makes two of us. Shall we brave them together?" The butler asked, proffering an arm for her to hold. Alyss smiled in relief at finding a friend, and gladly linked arms with the hired help.

She learned his name was Alfred, and he had been in service to Mr. Wayne since the child was born. He kept the manor clean, and was the only servant there that wouldn't be dismissed when the party was over.

"You stay here yourself?" She asked in disbelief.

"Me and master Wayne, yes." It was then that a very large man bumped into them, and startled, Alyss began to stammer an apology.

"It's quite alright; I wasn't quite watching where I was going." Came a clipped and smooth voice. Alyss looked up to see a very large man standing in front of them. He seemed to be three of her across, but had somehow found himself stuffed into a black suit. He had a pointed nose, and beady eyes with a monocle. Held in a white gloved hand was a strange looking black umbrella that he gripped with a meaty hand.

"Sir, would you care for a drink?" Alfred held one out for him. Giving a well-mannered smile, the man took it and bobbed his head in thanks. With a brief dismissal, he began to leave.

"Are you sure you're alright, sir?" She asked as he brushed past them, his long nose in the air.

"I'm quite fine, thank you." He replied, and then waddled away. Alfred leaned in and said softly, "They call that gentleman, the-"

"Why, he looks like a penguin!" A woman giggled at the statement, cracking her friends up immensely. Alfred nodded in affirmation when Alyss glanced at him in wonderment.

"He's kept up with family tradition, I see." She heard another person whisper, causing more laughter.

"They're not very nice to him." Alyss commented as they made their rounds about the room, Alfred offering drinks to random people he passed.

"No, not many are." Alfred nodded in agreement. Alyss then pressed on hesitantly.

"Not many are nice to Mr. Wayne, either." She noted, uncertain as to how the butler would react. Instead of anger, Alfred only laughed and nodded.

"Many seem quite partial to him, to his face. But, that's how most people of this stature are. They see with their eyes, and nothing else, Miss Alyss. They see what they want. They want to see a drunk who burned his home down, and that's what he is. They see a playboy, that's what he is." He then looked at her, his eyes suddenly earnest for some reason. "But it's not necessarily the truth."

"I didn't think it was." Alyss agreed, her heart pounding. She felt like she was on the brink of something important.

"In truth, Miss Alyss, mater Wayne is-"

"Alfred! Are you bothering my guests?" Someone asked good-naturedly, and Alyss was then accosted by a very nice smelling cologne. It was subtle, but sharp. Alyss wasn't surprised to see that it was Mr. Wayne greeting them with a stunning woman draped around him.

"As always, sir." Alfred smiled and bowed slightly to them before bowing to Alyss and murmuring, "always a pleasure" and walking away.

"Mr. Wayne, how are you, sir?" Alyss asked politely, suddenly feeling awkward. Bruce looked at her with a strange look in his eye, but it quickly faded.

"Please, call me Bruce." He said suddenly, detangling himself from the woman he was with to stick out a hand. Shaking it, Alyss noted the woman glaring.

"Ok… Bruce. How're you tonight?" Alyss asked.

"I'm quite well, actually. Oh, Casey, this is my secretary, Alyss. I was telling you about her earlier." Alyss smiled and stuck out a hand, attempting at civility, but the lady merely smiled thinly and said, "Charmed, I'm sure." She had a thick French accent and was obviously a pampered girl.

"So why were you and my butler hanging around each other tonight? He usually doesn't do things like that." Bruce smiled down at her, and Alyss shook her head, feeling suddenly out of place all over again.

"We were just talking." She mumbled, attempting a bright and happy gaze.

"Why not with your friends?" Casey asked snidely. Alyss snapped an angry gaze towards the obvious bitch.

"I don't know many people here." Was the clipped reply. Bruce suddenly felt horrible for inviting her, throwing her in with people she didn't know how to handle. It was one thing to be able to smile and work, but he should have realized it would be another to do so with perfect strangers and make friends with a whole new breed of people.

"What a pity. Wait… I've seen you in the papers!" Casey cried suddenly excited for some reason

"You have?" Alyss asked mildly. Bruce's face remained impassive, but inside he was squirming with a feeling to protect her. He bashed it down though, knowing she could take care of herself. It would be a bit too suspicious for him to jump in. _I'm a selfish playboy_, he chided himself.

"You were the girl that survived that horrid joker's attack!" Casey said a bit too loudly. The people nearest them turned around to stare, and Bruce had to feign a smile.

"Yes… I was." Alyss could feel her face turning red. She was trying to smash down the cold feeling she would get when she was alone, but it was seeping in because of this woman's words. Why did she have to bring up such a thing as if it was long ago? It was only four days. The pain was raw in the back of Alyss's throat.

"And… you met the Batman?" Alyss could see she knew exactly what Casey was doing as she asked these questions.

"Yes…" Alyss looked at Bruce for help.

"I think many people have seen or met him one time or another." Bruce smiled. "What's with the sudden obsession with him Casey?"

"How was he?" Casey asked, ignoring Bruce to get closer to Alyss. Alyss had the desire to shrink away and cry, but she held back, thinking positive. Maybe she was good at this sort of acting.

"He… was nice. A little scary at first, but that was probably shock from everything that happened. But he was one moment here, another moment there. He's the reason I'm alive." She motioned with her hands, a small smile on her face.

"The papers say you tried to defend yourself." Casey was standing next to her now, prying with her eyes as well as her words.

"Yes… I was scared. Of course I did." Bruce had to smile at that. He could remember her clearly as if it was mere moments ago, swinging her knife blindly, not caring who she hit as long as she got something.

"How frightening." Casey was suddenly back over with Bruce, an arm linked with his. "I wouldn't want something like that to happen to me."

"Well, I don't think anyone plans on it, Casey. Some things just happen." Bruce shook her gently, his face a polite mask.

"Like your losses, Bruce. Oh, how terrifying. I wouldn't have become anything of what you are if that had happened to me." Casey gushed, staring into his eyes.

"You win some, you lose some." It was that statement that knocked Alyss to her senses. What a jerk! To talk about people's deaths like a sports game was horrible. She could feel an empty, aching space in her chest, and just the fact he could coolly discuss someone's death, a close friend or family member even, was just heartless. Alfred was wrong, he was exactly what the eye could see, nothing more.

There was an odd silence as Casey excused herself to get another drink, and the two were left alone, Alyss with a slightly building temper, Bruce feeling bad for the conversation that just happened.

"It's a lovely house… your butler was telling me… about it." Alyss struggled to find something to say and luckily sounding civil at the same time. She wasn't proud to admit that she was getting better at this acting thing.

"Thank you. I'm sure you've heard of it being rebuilt." As he looked down at her, it was then that Bruce noticed her intelligent blue eyes that sparkled as she looked around at everything. There was an uncommon intelligence in her eyes that made her seem more than just a girl. She knew the realities of life, but it was obvious she hadn't succumbed to it. And he respected her for that.

"Yes, I'm glad you kept it how it was before. It's beautiful." She gushed suddenly, and then turned red when she saw him begin to laugh. Bruce was shocked at himself to hear his own laugh, but the moment it began, it was already subsiding. He hadn't laughed like that in a long time. Before Rachel's death, but never after. Guilt suddenly gnawed at him, chewing on his sub-conscious.

"Thank you. I love it as well."

"Well, I have to say, I love it too." A gruff voice remarked behind them. "Such wonderful color patterns… hahaha."

There was a scream as the sound of gunfire flooded the air.

--

**So, that was long, hope you guys read through!! I'll update soon!**


	4. Pandemonium

**Thanks for your reviews! In answer to one person who asked about Drake being so mean to Batman, all will be revealed in later chapters!! I'm really working hard on this stuff, so I hope you enjoy!!**

**Disclaimer- See chapter 3**

* * *

"Well, well, well… what a party you've got going here, Bruce Wayne…" His low, scratchy voice seemed too loud to Bruce as The Joker circled around him, his dark eyes well hidden by the black makeup surrounding his face. Bruce looked wildly around to see The Penguin and The Scarecrow walking around the groups of people, their faces smug but deadly as they grouped and pushed people together. Clearing his throat, he attempted to sound calm.

"I try." Was all he could manage in a normal voice. He could feel the need in him to use that growl that Batman portrayed, but he kept himself in check, knowing the repercussions. It was so much easier to protect people when you didn't have the ties to someone. Batman had no ties to anyone so it was easier to do what he wanted, no one suffered but him. But now, he had every single person in the room to think about. For some reason though, only two really clicked in his mind, the other faces blurred.

"Oh you try. Well that's good. How about I try not to shoot this pretty little girl you've been talking to, hmm? Haha, how do you think that'll work?" A gun was suddenly being pointed at Alyss, the barrel right in her face. Alyss could feel herself breaking into a sweat as she stared down the barrel of a .38 caliber pistol. Wildly, she wondered why she was able to see that that's what the gun was. _Hardly the thoughts of a panicked person_ she thought stupidly. But she found strangely that she wasn't panicking, she was only nervous. Nervous that if she did anything but stand there, others would get hurt. It was her he wanted, right? She was the one who survived.

"Well that depends on how you want things done I suppose." Bruce was attempting to stay as calm as he saw Alyss. Her eyes were wide, but her face was eerily smooth of any emotion. She was simply staring into death. His heart was beating too fast, he could feel it, but he tried to stay arrogant, smooth. The Joker killed those who begged and pleaded.

"You did help the one person I was trying to kill." The Joker smiled amiably, and motioned around. He then made a face as if he was truly upset as he pouted. "That wasn't a very nice thing to do." Alyss would have laughed, if the situation had called for it. The Joker was truly as insane as he had been portrayed. Instead, she remained stoic, silent.

"I'm sorry if I've kept my morals in the value of human life." Bruce retorted, trying to keep The Joker's attention on him.

"See, that's the problem with people these days!" He licked his lips, agitated. "You and your damned morals is the reason why you can't have fun!" He then turned, and wildly gestured, his cackling echoing in the vast ball room area. "You can't truly no how it feels to let yourself go until you let all of your rules and plans go! I'll give you an example…" He turned suddenly and shot randomly at the refreshments table. The glass fountain of champagne shattered everywhere, and people screamed as they scrambled away.

"What's your point?" Bruce asked calmly. The Joker laughed hysterically and pointed his gun back at Alyss.

"My poinT is that I have more fun not being tied to something. Do you get it, or am I going to fast for you?" With a grin, he motioned for someone, and a little boy appeared next to him. He was dressed as a patched up Joker, his makeup sloppy, but that made it easy to see freshly made scars running up the sides of his mouth, giving him a lopsided grin.

"This is my protégé…" The Joker suddenly turned and shot the boy, laughing as the child screamed and fell. Alyss gasped suddenly and before anyone could stop her, she lunged to the ground and caught him in her lap. The red color contrasted greatly with her silver dress as blood pooled around her. If anything, her act only made The Joker laugh.

"Ya see what I'm trying to say though? When I say I have more fun… I have more fun." With a lazy smile, he walked over and looked down at Alyss. She looked up at him, angry.

"So that's what you do for fun? Shoot innocent children after twisting their minds?" She could hear something in the back of her mind, screaming for her to shutup, but she couldn't. Anger roared in her ears, and for some reason it was fueled off of Bruce's arrogance from earlier. _Is that why you're doing this?_ The back of her mind cried out. _This is justifiable because someone else was an asshole?!_

"Well helloo beautiful." The Joker whispered, his eyes gleaming from his mask of paint. Alyss didn't know why everyone said they couldn't see his eyes. They seemed to stand out from the paint and reach out to her crazily, like the man they belonged to. With a start, she looked back down at the kid to see his breathing erratic, irregular. He had been shot in the chest, and she was surprised he was still alive at this point.

"What, no reply? Are- are you too nervous to reply? Because you seem nervous… is it the scars?" With a grin, The Joker leaned down and lowered himself eye level with her. Alyss then could see why so many people feared him. It wasn't just the strange way he looked, it wasn't just the insane way he handled everything. The people that had lived to look in his eyes had fear because there was nothing there but the truth. The Joker didn't lie, it was that simple. His eyes held nothing but what he was going to do, and that was it. He didn't twist things, he didn't bend them, they just were. She was going to die, his eyes seemed to say, and he wasn't sorry one bit.

"No…" She whispered to him, her breath suddenly hitching. It was then that she felt it rising in the back of her throat- fear. A healthy dose of fear that almost stopped all train of thought right then and there. She blinked back tears as she thought of her family, suddenly realizing with dread that they were dead. They really were. Because of him.

"No you're not nervous or no it's not the scars? We'll have to specify with that, won't we?" The Joker grinned, showing yellowed straight teeth that send shivers up her spine as she held the boy in her arms. She clung to him, as if his life line was hers, and with a wry thought, she realized that if The Joker had his way, that thought would be true.

"Leave her alone." Someone shouted, and a few people nodded, yelling out as well, but most stayed quiet or attempted to leave. It was then realized that there were more than just three villians in the room. Other's suddenly pulled guns and pointed them at people, shouting to stay quiet. The Joker smiled and nodded encouragingly for Alyss to speak when the noise began to quiet down as everyone got a grip on what was going on. The silence was deafening as everyone listened for her to speak.

"Go on now, don't be shy…" He crooned, reaching a hand out to stroke her cheek. Alyss flinched when he touched her, and he laughed, looking at everyone as if he had heard the funniest joke and was wondering why no one else was laughing.

"Your scars don't scare me." She said softly, staring at his eyes, not letting the scars sink into her vision, scared that if she really looked at them, she would be scared because of them. She forced herself to look into his eyes, trying to understand the cruelty in them. She forced herself to think of the people he had killed, happily.

"Oh? Really dearest? Because I think they do. You want to know how I got them?" He asked, taking a hold of her face, rougher than last time. He didn't have to force her to look at him, she already was, her eyes watering from the pain she felt.

"You see, I had a girlfriend… she was beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you. But she had a problem, this girlfriend of mine. She was suicidal. She wanted to die almost as much as you want to live right now. And, this gets good, one day, I walk in to see that my girlfriend has slit her throat, and her lips!" He pressed harder on her cheekbones, his eyes going cruel and dark. Alyss winced, but forced herself to stay still, to not struggle. "They say I didn't need to blame myself, it wasn't me. But you know what I did to make myself feel better? Because the guilt ATE ME UP. It tore me up to think that I couldn't make her happy. Why couldn't I make her happy?!" He shook her head back and forth, as if giving himself the answer. "I slit my own mouth with the same razor she did, and you know what, beautiful? I feel better and better, everyday! Everyone says that I smile a lot more!" He smiled and suddenly a razor blade was in his hand, and he was pressing it into her mouth. It was then that Alyss tried to flinch away, her eyes wide with terror.

"No, no, no, no, no, sh, sh, sh, this is for your own good... not really, it's for mine. But could you do me a favor, make it easier on us all? Just smile for me, beautiful. Why do you look sooo serious?" He grinned widely, and Alyss lunged back, kicking away from him in an effort to get away. Shots rang in the air, and then pandemonium struck, driving everyone to scream and run, their faces all showing one mask- terror. Alyss sprang from her stance, her eyes searching around for any help. The boy was still breathing, somehow, but not for long if she couldn't find someone to help.

"Alyssssssss… come out come out wherever you arrrre…" The Joker's laughter managed to ring out above the frantic screaming and cries, carrying easily over the gunfire as his cronies hailed bullets over the people's heads. Dropping down, Alyss linked her arms around the boy's and managed to drag him through the crowd, the people running on all sides of them, partly hiding them from The Joker's probing eyes. She knew soon the people would be gone, and she would be in plain sight.

"I just wanted to make it easier on you, why does the world have to make it so hard for themselves?" The Joker's raucous laughter sent the hairs on the back of her neck on edge, and gritting her teeth, Alyss managed to drag the boy around a corner, slightly out of breath.

Someone clamped a hand over her mouth, and Alyss shot up, a scream silenced by the cover over her mouth. Looking to her side, she relaxed when she saw that it was Alfred, worry on his face.

"Where's Mr. Wayne?" She asked breathlessly, aware that the screaming was moving towards the outside of the building. Alfred's face fell, and he said in a soft whisper, "He's in his panic room." And even in all of the chaos surrounding her, Alyss managed to feel anger at the man who left his guests to the mercy of the mad men now running around, shooting at people who had been cornered by The Joker's men.

"What do we do?" She asked fearfully, brushing the hair from the boy's face. His makeup was running off of his face, the sweat dotting his hairline causing it to diminish slowly.

"I'll give you to the count of ten." More gunfire echoed as The Joker laughed.

"I don't know Miss Alyss." Alfred said sorrowfully. Alyss looked at him, and suddenly something clicked in her mind. Alfred saw her expression as she realized what she had just done. She had run from trouble, only to let others die in her place. A strange feeling took over her, and before she knew it, she was standing up, letting the boy slide onto Alfred's lap. He looked up at her with concern, and he froze when he realized what she was doing.

"No Miss Alyss!" He hissed, his worry causing his voice to rise a little. Alyss shook her head.

"I heaaaar you!" More laughter.

"If you talk too loud, he'll find you. Take the boy and get to Mr. Wayne's safe house." She told him mechanically. Turning around, she walked around the corner, and into the open. Chunks of rock littered the floor from shattered marble, and tables were tipped over. Men walked lazily around, their faces hidden by clown masks of all kinds, except The Scarecrow that seemed to waltz around the room his stride was so smooth. The only two without masks would be The Penguin and The Joker, the first's face serious as he waddled about, his umbrella in front of him, and it took Alyss a moment to realize that his umbrella was actually a gun. The Joker stood in the middle of the ballroom, his painted face serene (as serene as he could get) as he spun slowly in circles, his arms outstretched, his face looking up.

As she stepped into the room, she pulled out the gun that she kept strapped to her hip, the metal feeling foreign to her as she walked slowly, her face strange. She stepped on the crushed marble, causing pebbles of it to click together. At that noise, The Joker looked over, and his signature grin took up his entire face.

"Ah, giving yourself up. What a heroic thing to do." He crooned, bowing sardonically to her. "You could have done this earlier, but I really must thank you for not." He grinned and began clapping his hands.

"Why?" Her voice was strangely hollow as she stared at him, too numb to pull her gun up and shoot.

"Why because you've given me… all of this." He spread his hands around him and circled. "I have had the time of my life! People dying, explosions, guns, knives, you name it, doll face. You should know, you gave it to me." He grinned as he stopped his spinning to look at her. Alyss looked around to see dead bodies littering the floor amongst the debris. Her eyes flickered back to him, for some reason unable to show emotion even though her insides were tearing her up with guilt and pain.

"Now, as much as I want to drag this out…" The Joker began circling her, his eyes boring into hers as she began walking around him as well. Her mind was numb, all she could do was act. He wanted her, right? Here she was. Her mind screamed for her to shoot him, but her arm wouldn't respond. He was smiling, his eyes telling her it was over, but she couldn't respond.

"I have an appointment, so let's get this done so we can go home. Well, so I can." He laughed at his joke, and began walking towards her, his face set with a lax, murderous expression. Alyss froze, her eyes still glassy, her face still blank. As he reached her, she pulled up her gun, arm finally reacting to the messages her bran was sending, but he laughed at her.

"Shoot me." He giggled. Alyss froze, her face frowning. Could she shoot him? Could she react the way she needed to?

"Come on, you got the gun drawn, shoot me!" His eyes widened in mirth. "Shoot me, pull the trigger, make me bleed, break my bones, hurt me, kick me, maim me, HIT ME!" He cackled.

"Gladly."

* * *

**So that was fun writing… I hope I've portrayed that so you guys like it!!**


	5. Guilt

**Thanks for your reviews! Sorry if this is all going fast, I just get all into the whole action scene, and so I might have made it a bit too rapid pace. You tell me?**

**:) Here we go!**

* * *

He was everywhere at once. One moment he was tackling The Joker to the ground, a well aimed kick sending the clown sprawling. The next moment everyone was moving in on them, and Alyss backed away, her body finally able to portray the emotion she felt.

Terror.

The Joker was fending off his blows; his laugh growing more loud and hysterical the more Batman hit him. The Joker's men were ignoring her, their task to take out Batman bigger than the boss's task to make a clean sweep of his men's blunder. Batman was beating them off, his punches matching that of a skilled samurai as he fought. His cape billowed out behind him as he worked tumbling and dodging the clowns' attacks as he moved. He seemed fluid, like a dancer, but swift like a snake.

"Run." Came a yell from the din of groans and sounds of violence. She knew it was him calling out to her, but she couldn't leave him, not when she could do something about it. Alyss had never fired a gun before; all she had seen had been from westerns and crime movies. She closed her eyes and attempted to steady the gun.

"BAM!" The kick from firing jerked her arm back, and the vibration shook her shoulder harshly. Someone cried out in pain, and Alyss cracked an eye open to see that she had shot someone's foot.

_Better than nothing_, she thought savagely. With a shake of her shoulders, she fired again, both eyes closed, hoping she hit the right person.

"BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! Click." Realizing she was out of bullets, Alyss opened her eyes to see a graveyard scene. Smoke was clearing from the barrel of her pistol, and beyond it lay the men Batman had been fighting. Next to it stood Batman himself, throttling The Penguin.

"I-I-I-I don't know where h-he went! I s-swear to you!" He stuttered, his beady eyes rolling in his head. Batman shook him, his face unreadable behind the mask as he knocked the large man out. He let him slide down the side of the pile until he slumped against the floor.

Alyss's mind was on hyper-drive as she watched the hooded stranger walk up to her slowly. She realized she was still holding the gun out, both hands on the trigger as she wildly looked about the room, blood from the boy staining her clothes. Calmly, Batman took the gun from her hands and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ok?" He asked gruffly, his voice low and scratchy. He was inspecting her, looking to see if the blood covering her was actually hers. Alyss barely managed to nod before everything caught up to her. She slumped onto the floor, her breath coming in gasps as she realized what she had just done. Shooting at people? What the hell was the matter with her? Before this, she wouldn't have even dreamed of facing a man such as The Joker, let alone attempted to fight him.

"People…" She mumbled, looking around blearily. "People… died." Tears formed, and though she tried to blink them away, it was futile. She began crying as she realized that the people from the party were dead. The ones who didn't get away were finished.

_It should have been me._

* * *

Batman stood helpless before her, his mind whirling with everything that had just happened. He could deal with the action; he could deal with The Joker. But a sobbing girl who felt responsible for everything? Not so easy.

"You did what you could." He growled, trying to remain stoic, trying to remain Batman.

"No, I ran! I ran away!" She cried, wiping her eyes with bloody hands. "And now they're dead because of me!" She looked around, but was suddenly jerked to her feet by a large man in a bat suit.

"As any human would. You came back though. You fought." He pressed the gun back into her hands. Alyss looked down at it dumbly, sniffling. "You did what you could. That's all anyone can ask."

"The Joker's gone." She said dumbly, without thinking. The Batman's mouth turned down into a frown, and she realized he already knew that. There was a dead silence as she tried to control the weight of guilt that was slowly pressing her shoulders down.

"Not for long." Was the too late reply. With a flip of his cape, he turned and began walking towards the large doors, one of them askew from panicked people trying to tear them down. She followed though, stumbling over chunks of rock.

"Wait!" She cried out, wiping tears that still flowed over her cheeks away. Batman stopped, his body rigid.

"That's twice now you've saved my life." She called out, feeling foolish. "I never said thank you for this time." Batman turned his head, and if Alyss didn't know better, she would have said he had smiled slightly.

"And you'll never have to." He looked back, slowly, and Alyss felt weak under his gaze. "Next time though… look before you shoot." And then he was gone, the only thing showing his movement was a sliver of light through a bullet hole in his cape.

"Oh Hell." She whispered, sinking to the ground again.

* * *

Bruce made it quickly back to his cave, his face troubled as he switched from bat suit to Dior suit. He could hear an echo of sirens, signaling the cops. The owner of the manor would have to make an appearance from his panic room.

He looked down at his cape, the solitary hole making him smile in the face of all of the trouble he was dealing with. Alyss Brooks was surprising him every day he knew her. He was trying to suppress the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach as he remembered her bravery and courage. To catch that boy like that was truly heroic, and then to act so calm in the face of death…

He only knew one man to do so, and he had to hide his face to do it.

Hanging the suit up, He grabbed his other clothes and began dressing quickly. He had crept in from the side, seeing Alyss walk out to the middle, her face blank, her words composed. She had a gun, he could see, but he figured she wouldn't be able to shoot The Joker. It took a lot of motivation to hurt people, let alone blatantly kill a man.

Which would explain why her eyes were tightly shut while she did fire.

Looking in the mirror, Bruce carefully adjusted the look on his face, trying to fight down the urge to rush to see if she was alright. It felt strange to be so protective of someone. Walking to the elevator, he let it rise, taking him to the study where he exited from behind a bookcase. Carefully, he crept down the hall, and wasn't surprised to see a random guy in a clown mask looting through a few of his boxes.

"You'll never find anything of value there." He commented. The man whirled around, gun raised, but Bruce grabbed it and struck the man in the nose with it, letting him fall dumbly to the ground. He took the gun with him into the side of the hallway where he saw Alfred and a small child. Relief washed over him at the sight of his close friend in good condition. The boy however wasn't doing so well. He was breathing, surprisingly, but his face was pale. Alfred looked up, and his eyes told Bruce his worry.

"Is he going to make it?" Bruce asked, leaning down to see the shallow rise of his chest.

"I've already got the police and the ambulances on their way, sir. Maybe you should check on someone in the ballroom? She hasn't moved since you left, sir." Bruce noticed how Alfred dodged the question. Standing up, Bruce shoved down any feeling of urgency as he walked around the corner to where Alyss was. Making sure to make noise as he did so, he entered the ballroom and immediately spotted Alyss, slumped onto the ground, her head hanging. Blood spotted her dress, arms, and hands, and Bruce had to remind himself that it was the boy's not hers. Walking up, he became worried when she didn't respond to him moving closer. It took until he was right next to her for her to jump suddenly, a gun swinging in the air as she gasped out, "Get away from me!"

"Alyss, Alyss, stop. It's me, Bruce. It's ok." He gently caught the gun and she didn't fight as it was taken away from her. Instead, she looked at him, anger sparking in her eyes. Tears were trailing down her face as she looked at him, and pity hit him to the core. Gently, slowly, he pulled her up from the floor and asked softly, "Are you ok?"

"No!" She snapped, sniffling. "I killed everyone here! They're dead because of me!" She shook her head slowly. "I'm such a coward, running from it. Just like you." She jerked her arm from his grasp, the two emotions fighting between her. On the one hand, Bruce was trying to help, and she desperately needed that. On the other, he ran when he should have helped earlier. She couldn't help but feel angry for it.

"You didn't kill anyone, those men did." He said softly, guilt washing over him. Guilt and annoyance really. He was right, being what he was (the Batman) was a lose, lose situation most of the time. If he had stayed, he wasn't a coward, but he couldn't help. If he left, he saved people, but with a different identity, making the real Bruce look stupid and cowardly.

"They wouldn't have killed anyone if I had just died!" She said, more to herself than anyone else.

"You don't know that." He chided her kindly.

"And you! These were your guests, how could you abandon everyone like that? You're so selfish to leave them to the mercy of a mad man and his insane cohorts! Did you think that it would be ok for you to just leave? Everything I've heard about you is right! You're nothing but a selfish, rich, playboy who doesn't care about anyone else but himself!" She took a deep breath to continue, but he held up his hand in calm protest.

"I see your point." He informed her, smirking instead of showing the slight hurt her felt at her comments. "But you're worn out and tired as it is. Don't stress yourself just to yell at me. After all, a selfish playboy wouldn't care if you did or not, so you're only hurting yourself doing this." He cleared his throat, trying to turn the tables a bit. "The police are on their way." Alyss's breath hitched, and her eyes widened.

"The… police?" She couldn't believe on top of everything else, she would have to deal with them. Weariness cloaked her like a thick blanket, and too tired to object, she felt her body start to fall. She was surprised when someone caught her, their arms strong and solid. She was drifting out, but she managed to hear through the fog a soft and quiet voice murmuring, "I'll protect you."

_Fat chance of that._

* * *

**So, that was a little shorter than the last two, but anywho tell me what you think, if I made her too emotional or anything, stuff like that. I just couldn't picture someone not being bothered about everything going on, so I thought well, she's a nice girl, she's probably going to take responsibility for things even if she shouldn't.**

**The only way to know is ****Review**!!


	6. The Riddler

**Thanks for your reviews!!**

**To answer a few questions…**

**1) I'm debating whether or not to throw in at least a little romance because let's face it, the poor guy needs a girl. But I think it should be a girl who accepts what he does, unlike Rachel who was like, "When you're done playing around, I'll come and hang." It should be someone supporting him who loves him enough to be by him while he does what he does. So, there most likely will be a little bit, but not all lovey dovey, "I love you," "No, I love you more" kind of stuff. Because I'm more of a fan for action anyway.**

**2) Yeah, I knew I had kind of been making Alyss seem a bit a-ok with her family dying, but I was verging towards showing that sometimes when that stuff happens, some people are too numb to really do much but deny it an move on instead of dwelling in their emotion. They suppress the bad memories and try to act like nothing happened. So when they meet the murderer, they don't know how to react much (not that I would know, I've never faced The Joker )**

**But! This chapter may not be the best; it's more of a mini filler for the next, not a lot of action. Just some Alyss and Bruce dialogue as she attempts to verbally slap him, and a bit of The Joker. I guess you might call it romancy, but not so much. I'm trying to get personality in, and show "inner struggles" I suppose you could call it. I'm trying to make a twist in the story, so… here's what I got while I think of something better. **

**Here you go!**

* * *

"Will she be alright Alfred?" His voice was low and held a tinge of worry in it.

"She should be… it's understandable why she fainted, sir. A good dose of weariness from running on nothing but determination, fear for her life an others, grief finally catching up with her, and guilt for feeling responsible can crush even the strongest person." His words held a double meaning, but the person it was directed at pointedly ignored it.

"She's in pain." Was all the man could say.

"Sir, her family was murdered, she was nearly killed by an insane-"

"I know everything that's happened. I just… don't know how she's held herself together. I didn't." There was remorse in this voice, and turning over, the girl could see through half lidded eyes two men standing next to a window as they spoke, their voices lowered.

"People deal with grief in their own way, sir."

"… How's the boy?" The subject was changed, and it was obvious why.

"The boy's name is Dylan, and he's still in ICU. He lost a lot of blood, but Miss Brooks managed to stem the flow of it. If he can get through one night sir, there's a high chance of survival." There was pride in this voice.

"How did The Joker manage to twist his mind?"

"I believe that it didn't take much to do so. He was already uncontrollable, according to police, and all he needed was a direction to go."

"She's a strong willed girl." The changing of subjects was dizzying in the fog, and wildly, the girl's eyes flickered as she struggled to stay conscious.

"Yes, Miss Brooks is a rare kind. She still has her morals, even raised in the likes of Gotham city's Narrows."

"What can we do for her Alfred?" There was that worry again.

"Right now it would be best for her to sleep, sir."

* * *

_There were flashing lights. People were screaming and pointing, their wild gestures leading to an apartment very familiar to her. With a gasp, she picked up her pace, pushing the situation in the ally to the back of her mind. As she reached the stairs to go up, she saw something that made her throat constrict. Body bags. _

_"Ma'am, we're going to need you to step away." A young officer was leading her away, but she struggled, her eyes wide. _

_"Stop, stop! That's my home, what's going on?!" She cried, her nails digging into his skin as se struggled to get away. The man stopped pulling her away and instead settled for holding her in place as he tried to get an answer. _

_"That's your home?" He asked, shaking her for an answer. She coughed back a sob as she answered a strangled yes. _

_"Ma'am, we're going to need you to step over here. Commissioner Gordan!" His voice was full of pity, and he was pulling her towards the flashing lights, and she winced at the brightness, her eyes accustomed to the gloom of the night. After setting her down, she found herself surrounded by people in uniforms, their voices blending as a loud cacophony. _

_"Gentlemen, let her breathe. Miss Brooks?" A thin man stepped foreword, his eyes kind. He sported a moustache on his upper lip, and in a slightly nervous air he tugged at it with his fingers. _

_"That's me." Her voice was hoarse, as if she had been crying. _

_"We… have some bad news. I'm very sorry, but…" _

_"They're dead." She whispered, the gears already clicking in her mind. The man seemed surprised that she said it, but she ignored his look. _

_"How?" She asked, her eyes watering._

_"Your father had… do you really want to hear this?" He looked down at her, concerned._

_"Tell me." She whispered, her glare causing him to raise his eyebrows in shock at her sudden anger. _

_"Your father's throat… was slit. Your mother's as well. Both bodies were located in separate locations. Your brothers were in bed, suffocated by carbon monoxide." He looked back down at her again, he eyebrows creased in concern. _

_"Oh…" It was then that she felt that it had begun to rain, the steady drizzle coating her hair and clothes slowly but surely. She felt someone put a coat over her shoulders, and she looked up to see the man with the moustache leaning over her, settling the jacket in a soothing manner. _

_"It'll be ok." He said as he scrunched down, his face full of compassion and pity. He put a hand on her shoulder and instead of feeling like he meant harm, the girl felt strangely comforted. She looked him in the eyes, seeing a person of morals, a person of dignity. A person to trust._

_Funny, that's how she used to be._

* * *

Alyss woke slowly, her head fuzzy with dreams. They were vivid dreams; ones that made her curl up and hug her chest tightly, as if to keep them in. She realized that she was lying in a bed, a thick comforter up around her chin, a soft downy pillow beneath her head.

Definitely not her bed then.

She opened her eyes wider, and was thankful for the shadowed room that didn't blind her as she peered around, still unmoving. It was a richly colored room, the maroons and golds accenting other deep, rich colors. It was a larger room, with two man sized windows to one side. At one of these windows stood a dark haired man, his face troubled as he looked out of the window, and into a gloomy courtyard. One hand strayed on the glass of the window as he looked, and he seemed to be fighting an internal battle as he stared.

_To say, or not to say._

With a groggy twitch, Alyss realized that it was Bruce Wayne standing at the window. His dark blue eyes assessed everything that went on, and when she began to stir, he looked over, his face clearing up at the sight of her. He walked over quickly and sat down in a chair by the bed.

"We were wondering when you were going to wake up." He said smoothly, his features crystal clear and devoid of the worry that had been there just a moment ago. Alyss looked around the room, her eyebrows drawn in confusion.

_Secrets don't make friends and friends don't make secrets._

"Where am I?" She was surprised to hear her voice was normal, if not a bit tired. Bruce smirked, and gestured around the area.

"This would be… my room."

* * *

Bruce stared out of the window, his mind working overtime. It was strange, but Alyss reminded him of Rachel. The way she managed to stand up to The Joker in a way people feared to. Her sense of justice was firm, unmovable.

And it was working her into the ground.

He could feel something in him, something small, that made him feel concern for her. She was tossing and turning throughout her sleep, her face drawn as she struggled through nightmares. Alfred said this was normal, but a small part of him still made him turn and stare worriedly whenever she seemed gripped in a dream.

Then, there was half of him that couldn't seem to care. That part of him was even more troublesome than the small seed. There was a dead part of him that used to be full of grief, but it had slowly become too painful to feel, a numbing drug. It made him feel like the cold, rude rich boy people wanted him to be.

Then, there was the man Rachel still had spell bound.

Memories filtered through his mind, their friendship, their closeness, their love. Bruce gripped the windowsill in pain as he remembered her words.

_"I'll wait for you."_

And now, he couldn't have that luxury. He could never look at her, hold her, and kiss her. It was the pain that still managed to wrench into the smallest part of his heart and rip out any other feeling but grief. Thinking of her hurt, but it was all he could think of.

Except the small part that reached for something else. There was something about Alyss that let his heart reach for her, his mind unwillingly calling out, 'come to me'. As he turned to look at her, he couldn't see exactly why. They didn't look alike, now that he noticed. Rachel's hair was reddish brown, long and wavy. Alyss's hair was medium straight honey brown hair that was verging dirty blond. She was short; Rachel was much taller. Where Rachel was slimmer and skinnier, Alyss had curves that a lot of girls would die for, but when they had them they seemed to hate them. Rachel's eyes were green; Alyss's were an icy blue.

Not alike in the least. So why was he attracted to her? And why did he feel horrible for being attracted to her?

At least the last one he could answer with the truth. Rachel's memory still burned a hole in his heart so he almost felt like he was betraying her memory, even from just a simple small feeling.

There was a noise by the bed, and Bruce turned to see her watching him warily, wearily. Quickly, as he walked over to the bed, he composed his face to the cool and collected man she had seen him as. It was slightly more difficult to do so with her, her grief stricken face made acting seem trivial.

"We were wondering when you were going to wake up." He kept his voice polite and kind as he sat down.

"Where am I?" Ah, the ever awkward question.

"This would be… my room." Her reaction was not one he had been expecting. She began struggling to throw the covers off in an attempt at getting away as soon as possible. Concerned for her, he put a steadying hand on her arm as she swayed, a hand to her head.

"You were passed out and the only room we could deny the police from entering was the master bedroom, so… we brought you here." Bruce pushed her gently back onto his bed, and she dumbly sat down, her eyes wide. Looking down, she could see that she was wearing pajamas, which certainly wasn't what she had lost consciousness in. Looking up suspiciously, her face told Bruce of her concerns.

"A good lady friend assisted." He told her with a simple shrug. An uncomfortable silence ensued as Alyss attempted to stem the thoughts whirling through her head. She knew she should thank him for helping her evade the police for a few days, but she was too angry at him.

Damn pride.

"… I took the liberty of having Alfred cook breakfast for you. I didn't know when you would wake up." Bruce was attempting at civility, but he could tell by the sudden change of emotions that she wasn't too happy.

"That was… generous." She commented as she stood up slowly. Her face was drawn in pain when she stretched, and it took her a moment to realize her shoulder ached slightly. It must have been from dragging that boy around. Dead weight could get pretty heavy, she was finding out. Bruce watched her look around, and he stood up too, forcing the personality he usually sported back into place.

"I try."

* * *

He was dragging the blade across the wall, letting the scratching sound echo across the room of people as he stared out a window. He knew they were on edge, their boss was angry, why wouldn't they be? If a man was considered insane, a person would treat him like a stick of dynamite. Warily. The Joker had to grin at his own joke. He treated dynamite like a piece of candy.

"What happened there boys? Did your balls drop off or something?" He addressed his men, his back still to them. His voice was low and gravelly like the scratch of the knife on the wall, and it set his men on edge. No one spoke as he chuckled and slowed the tempo of the knife stroke.

"I want that girl." He stated it so childlike that a couple had to laugh at the sudden immature tone their fearsome boss held. The Joker joined in their laughing until his guffaws were the only sound in the room. Suddenly nervous again, the few who had laughed stopped, their faces drawn in worry as they realized what they had just done. He turned suddenly, his knife flailing along with his arm as he bared his yellow teeth in a grin.

"Ah ha ha. Hee hee, ho ho hehehe." He more spoke the laugh, low and mocking now, and he was glaring as he smiled, his head lowered as he stared up through his black paint. "I love to laugh too. I've got a story that's a, ah… a real knee slapper." He began walking around them, his gaze unsettling everyone but a few. The Scarecrow was sitting primly on the sole chair in the room, his smug face confidant. He was under the impression that he was irreplaceable.

The Joker loved humor like that. You couldn't buy that sort of thing.

The Penguin stood nearby next to a table, his face turned up at the nonsense. The Joker knew that the fat man was a squealer, he could spot them a mile away, but The Penguin swung both ways with that pendulum. He could feed all the information he wanted to the bat boy when he showed up, The Joker wanted that rat with wings to find out. It would make this game so much more entertaining.

The other in the room who wasn't breaking out in a cold sweat was currently looking out of the other window in the room, his long face bored. He sported a green bowler hat on his head, and under it stuck tufts of red hair in every which direction. His green suit was still on, even in the immense heat, and a large black question mark was emblazoned on the jacket.

"They don't want your stories, Joker; they want to know why we're bothering with this girl." Scarecrow looked up and adjusted his glasses across the bridge of his nose. Crossing his legs, he looked up expectantly. "I would like to know as well. You see-"

"What's looser than a thread, or a whore?" The man with the bowler hat looked over at them, his eyes dancing. "A tongue in the mouth of a woman." The Scarecrow cleared his throat and looked at The Riddler.

"I hope you aren't trying to imply that I'm a woman."

"I was suggesting that you simply stop talking so there isn't any confusion otherwise." The Riddler turned and looked back out of the window.

"Why you-"

"Point made, set match." The Riddler interrupted, and grin showing at the corners of his mouth.

"Now that the baby has his pacifier… I'm going to make something very clear. You all are here for various reasons. But one thing's the same. You work for me. And when I want something done, I want it done." The Joker licked his lips and smacked them together, as if making a point. "You seem to be under the impression that I'm crazy. No, I'm noT. I just want that girl."

"What's so important about her?" The Penguin inquired his beak nose in the air.

"Haha, does there need to be a reason? It's what I want. I'm not a complex planner. I'm not a schemer. When I get the whim, I get it. I'm a dog chasing cars," He began gesturing with his hands, his eyes glowing. "I- I wouldn't know what to do if I got one!! So let's find out."

"What's black and white with fuzz in it?" The Riddler turned back to look at The Joker, his eyes showing warning.

"Do tell." The Joker grinned. The only one who might not be replaceable would be the man in the green. His humor and riddles brightened up every murder he was in.

"A cop car." The Riddler pointed down at a car speeding past their hideout, his lights flashing.

"Are you worried about the cops? Oh no! The cops are going to get me!" The Joker brushed his comment off. "Let's make some magic, boys."

Well, explosives at least.

* * *

**Ugh, not my best, sorry guys. Please review with what you think though!! I appreciate all of the favorite stories and author alerts, but I do need feedback on what I'm doing right and what I need to fix. Sorry if it sounds like I'm complaining, but I don't know what you're thinking!!**

**I'm starting school tomorrow so I might not update everyday, but I'll try.**

* * *


	7. Alyss in Wonderland

**Thanks for your reviews!! I got a lot of feedback from people since my last update, so thanks a whole bunch!! It really let's me know how I'm doing and what not. So, here's a reply to the people with questions and such. I couldn't on the thing (it was messed up) so I just did this:**

**Maraudergurl2010****- Thanks! And when I first start typing his dialogue, it's terribly hard. Once I get passed the first few sentences it starts picking up until I know what I'm going to say. Kind of creepy, but it takes a little bit to get there.**

**Maximumridewarriorstwilight****- Thanks for all of your reviews like that!! I was thinking of having another sibling survive the whole attack thing just so there was family closeness and bonding, but then as I got typing I got this whole "sole survivor" idea, and I realized that for the upcoming chapters, she has to be basically alone. You'll see why though :P**

**Shellyross55174****- Thanks for your review! I know I probably shouldn't have, but I love his quotes and stuff, so when I was typing it fit the whole mood I was going for. But if it ruins my work, I'll definitely stop!**

**Laurenmlbc****- I totally agree with you about Rachel leading him on! And thanks for the action thing, I was freaking (in a way) that it wasn't what I was trying to make it be. **

**That's it really, if I didn't reply to one, sorry, but either I didn't see it, or there wasn't much to say besides thanks guys so much! They help, in a way, to kind of orient my direction with how I'll do my next chapter because, let's face it; I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm writing as I go. Terrible to do, but I do it. **

**Like a drug, Haha. **

* * *

"And then what did The Joker say?" Commissioner Gordan was leaning over his desk, regret but determination in his eyes. Alyss had been in his office for about two hours as she told and retold the attack at Wayne Manor. Her head hurt from the constant questions being rapid fire shot at her, but she kept answering, hoping Gordan would let up soon.

"I can't remember." She groaned, lying through her teeth.

"_You see, I had a girlfriend… she was beautiful."_ Almost every night she had random nightmares with his blade into her mouth as he laughed at her fear. The Commissioner raised his eyebrows at her response, but he didn't push it. The whole situation must be a lot of a young woman to take in so fast. He would have to get the information out another way.

"Are you sure?" He steepled his fingers as he assessed her with a piteous gaze.

"Quite sure. I'm sorry, but I have to get back to work." She stood up, her gaze apologetic. She hadn't slept well in the three days that she had been in the same living area as Bruce Wayne, and it was obvious why.

_"What are you doing?" He was leaning against the doorway, watching her as she worked through papers, her thoughts far away as she worked the simple task meticulously. _

_"What does it look like, sir?" She had kept up formalities, even though she was staying in his home. She had protested to him asking her to call him Bruce, almost as much as she had protested to staying in his house in the first place. _

_"Miss Alyss, I have the files you asked for." Alfred walked in quietly and passed a few sheets over to her. Alyss's face brightened considerably when she took them, pouring over the words eagerly._

"_Thank you so much Alfred! This will make everything much easier." She gushed brightly, looking over at the old man._

"_It's never a problem to help a pretty lady." He smiled warmly and asked smoothly, "May I inquire as to what you're working on though?" Alyss grinned brightly and looked down again. _

"_It's nothing big… I'm just looking through the files they have on The Batman. It's really interesting to see what one person has to say versus another. And then there are so many leads and clues that lead to people in the city that could be him… I've always loved a mystery." She gushed. Looking up though, she froze at the looks on both people's faces. Bruce seemed torn between amusement, anger, and panic. Alfred hadn't moved the polite expression off of his face, but his eyes said something else completely. _

_Then, the moment passed and Alyss wondered if it had really happened. _

_"The Batman? You're trying to find out who he is?" Bruce grinned and shook his head, obviously poking fun at her. "That should be promising." His tone was mocking. Alyss turned to glare at Bruce, her face darkening slightly. _

_"He's saved people more than anyone can ever conceive. Especially people like you." She retorted heavily, anger coloring her tone. _

_"But if you found out, could you keep it a secret?" Bruce asked, eyebrows raised. A smirk flitted across his face, but all arrogance almost disappeared at the color that drained from Alyss's face at his mentioning secrets._

_"Of… course I can. I'm not a rat…" She mused, her face blank, her eyes dazed slightly. She shook her head and the glare was back. "Why would I want to say anything anyway? He'd just get locked up. How could he save anyone then?" Bruce was smirking again and he shook his head. _

_"Ma'am, sir, I'll just go and prepare supper." Alfred cut in, changing the subject. Alyss let it happen, her breath coming quick. Bruce nodded, his expression unreadable as he stared at Alyss. Alfred bowed smoothly and left the room, his shoes making echoing sounds as he walked away. Bruce stared a moment longer before turning to leave, his hands in his suit pockets. The moment she was sure he was gone, her hands flew up to her neck where a thin chain hung underneath her button up work shirt. Her breathing came in shallow gasps as she looked around in a panicked gaze the small chain clutched in her hand for support._

_They didn't know, did they? Of course they didn't, they'd throw her to the police if they knew! Anything to help. Anything. _

_"Breathe." She commanded herself, suddenly doing the opposite. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the one picture anyone had of him; a shadow of a bat adorning the dark night sky. She looked over it, suddenly ashamed that she was going to play this game, with The Batman of all people. She should know it could get dangerous, she knew it could probably cost her something even more dearly to her than her family, though at this moment she couldn't think of any. But with a game of cat and mouse someone would find something. _

_But she couldn't stay away. The obsession was too much. She traced the outline of the bat, her brow furrowed as she tried to think of anything he had said that was important. _

_"Who are you?" She whispered._

"It's not to see your boss that you go, is it?" The Commissioner teased as they made their way downstairs. He was walking her to her car, seeing that she was an obvious target.

"No." She almost snapped at him, but managed to reel in the anger. Instead, she managed only a minutely disgusted face. Gordan looked surprised at her as they talked. He knew that man probably hired her mostly for looks than competency, but the female obviously not liking the playboy?

That was strange.

"I hear you're staying at his penthouse with him while the ballroom is repaired." Gordan made small talk as they passed Drake, who stopped his walking when he saw Alyss walk past. His face grew red when she glanced at him, but she didn't really see him. She only saw the face of Bruce as he argued with her.

"Yes." She muttered, disgruntled. The Commissioner laughed at the look on her face, but didn't doubt her seriousness.

"Why did he insist?"

_"The Joker's after you, obviously. It would be better to stay here and work at the office instead of gallivanting in the Narrows, getting mugged on your way home." Bruce informed her as he guided her unwillingly towards the elevator to take them up to his penthouse._

_"And you think you're helping? How is this going to help when the supposed savior is running off to his panic room at the moment when it most counts!?" She retorted as she pulled against his vice like grip. Did that guy work out or something?_

_"Next time we need a safe room I'll take you with me." He vowed, smirking. Alyss glared, but she could only keep the glare on her face for so long as he opened the door to the biggest hotel room she had seen. She managed to keep her jaw from dropping as the décor of the room settled in, and Bruce took that face as the face of defeat. Smiling, he guided her to her room._

_"And here's where you'll sleep." He informed her smugly. Turning around, he fled before she had the chance to retort with something biting and angry. _

"His money could protect me." She muttered bitterly. Gordan snorted and shook his head as he opened the door to her car. As she started to get in though, Gordan suddenly grabbed her and flung the both of them onto the ground. Alyss gritted her teeth as the impact of the concrete crushed her lungs slightly, and as she struggled to turn around to see what happened, the Commissioner refused to let her turn. After a few moments of just laying there, wincing in pain, Gordan slowly stood up and pulled her up with him, his face grim. In the taxi cab, the driver lay tied to his seat, joker cards filling the bottom of the floor. His eyes were glazed, and his mouth sported a black object.

"Is that…" Alyss cried, horrified.

"Yes." Gordan clarified. "That would be a bomb."

* * *

"So now we can tell for sure that it's you he wants." Gordan held one of the many cards up for a few people to see. On it, a joker was crouched over the words, "Off with her head!" and underneath that it informed them that the quote was from "Alice in Wonderland". Alyss shifted uncomfortably in her seat, more from pain than worry. She had already known it would happen sooner or later. It just happened to be a bit too soon. She had wanted to be a bit more prepared, but now… she felt helpless.

"What will we do to stop it?" Another cop asked, his face shadowed with anger. He seemed as if it was a personal offense against him that The Joker was attacking someone. Alyss found that she admired that about him.

"For now… nothing. We don't know who The Joker is anyway," At this Alyss choked on her drink, the motion missed by others. "We can't do a thing. Doesn't matter how many prints are there. But for Miss Brooks, I want Drake guarding her." Gordan turned and looked at another young officer who seemed just as into the investigation as the other one. He looked over at Alyss with a mixture of surprise and worry on his face. She couldn't miss the gleam of an important job though, and had to laugh at his excitement.

"Something wrong?" The Commissioner asked, curious at her random humor. Alyss just shook her head.

* * *

"Commissioner, why do you insist on bringing me up here?" Drake huffed and puffed up after the older man, his face slightly red at the fast pace the Commissioner was going at.

"Because, I need to show you something. And, I enjoy your company." Gordan tacked on the last part with a smirk, and wasn't disappointed when he heard Drake choke on his spit.

"Uh… sir?" He asked worriedly when they reached the top. Gordan laughed and shook his head slowly, walking around the flood light and flicking it on. The bat signal beamed into the bright sky, its light brushing past the clouds in the sky. They didn't have to wait too long; in fifteen minutes he was there, his cape fluttering around him like the shuffling of wings.

"You want The Joker?" Gordan asked when he saw the man's gaze fall on him. Batman only nodded, the annoyance at that simple question in his eyes.

"He won't get him, sir." Drake glared at his boss, his temper getting the best of him. He stepped up and attempted to go face to face with Batman. "He doesn't have time to do everything, sir. He shouldn't be doing anything at all." Gordan sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"We have a way to get him. The Joker has targeted a girl by the name of Alyss Brooks. We don't have a way to get him unless he's after her. You want him, you help her."

"I don't do babysitting jobs." Was the gruff reply.

"Too good to help an innocent girl?" Drake taunted.

"Too busy."

"You're no hero."

"I don't try to be."

"You can't even rescue a girl!"

"You believe you can do that alone?"

"No." Gordan cut between them, his face amused, an idea sprouting in his mind. "He won't be doing it alone, Batman."

"I won't?" Drake glared. Batman seemed smug, his face covered but the expression in his eyes showing all.

"No, you won't. Because you two will be doing this together."

* * *

**Review please, tell me what you think!!**


	8. Aaron & Drake

** thanks for your reviews!! To answer one, I'm not exactly sure what you read, but she didn't have a bat on her necklace, it was just a small chain. This is a quickie; I've just started school so I've been bogged down with tons of work already! Sorry and here you go!**

* * *

"No." His growl seemed more than just a voice disguiser now. It was dark, angry, menacing. He was practically towering over Gordan, but the man wouldn't budge in his decision.

"It would be easier." Gordan pointed out, having to raise his voice so Drake could hear him. Drake had stomped off to the other side of the roof, his temper turning his vision red.

"No." It was all Batman could think to say. How could he portray that he was already doing that? He couldn't watch her as both of his identities, and one was already booked with that job.

"Why not?" Gordan sighed, running his hands through his hair in agitation. He had expected a fight, but this was ridiculous! It had been over thirty minutes since he had proposed the idea. Neither had stopped to think about it.

"I work alone." He rasped in quick reply.

"You can't do it alone. Just let him do his job in the day time, and you perimeter the outside so nothing can get in. I don't want too many guys knowing about this operation so only Drake is working this."

"Can you trust him?" Batman raised his snarl so Drake could hear that comment.

"This is coming from the man who a couple of months ago knocked out our swat team in The Joker operation!" Drake took a few deep breaths in anger and then looked sourly away.

"They were going to shoot innocent people." Batman replied evenly.

"They were cops!"

"I won't let anyone, cops or villain, hurt the people I protect."

"Which is why you should help us, just this once, Batman?" Gordan interjected smoothly. There was silence as everyone thought to themselves of the problem. Batman knew he could just leave; there was no reason to stay. Something was nagging him in the back of his mind and he couldn't leave it be. He could tell that Alyss was hiding something, and the only way to find out would be to be near her as someone else. Bruce Wayne just wasn't cutting it in that department.

"If he gets in the way of my job, I'll have to take care of that too." Batman was frowning as he finally caved. Drake's face fell in disappointment as he realized that he was going to have to work with Gotham's number one villain in his book. If Batman had turned the offer down, he wouldn't have to work with him. Now, they were partners. In a very loose termed way.

"Likewise." Drake snapped before turning around and stomping off. Batman turned to slip away, but Gordan grabbed his arm to stop him. On reflex action, Batman grabbed his wrist to break it, but stopped himself just in time.

"Look… I know you don't want to do this. But you will… not for me, but for the right reason. Can you go a little easy on him?" Gordan let his hand drop to his side, and he watched as batman pulled out a gun and shot a grappling hook out of it. Clipping some things to his belt, the large bat growled, "No promises," before flying into the night sky.

* * *

Alyss was curled up on the leather couch in one of the living rooms. Her eyes were a blur as they skimmed over everything at a quick pace, boredom obvious in her posture and the look on her face. With a sigh, she set the article about Batman down and looked out of the window of the penthouse. She still wasn't sure as to why she agreed to stay there; it was awkward. He knew she didn't care for him, she knew he didn't care. She didn't want to go to Alfred about it; that was just wrong. And even if she wanted to, she had no clue where he was. He could disappear so easily. But here she was, alone in a luxurious penthouse with nothing to do. She was at a dead end with the whole identity thing, and she wasn't sure where to look now.

Sighing, she looked out of the window and over most of the city. The lights sparkled and shimmered as she stared, and she resisted the sudden urge to think of her family. She had kept them to the back of her mind, and she wanted them to stay there. She couldn't think of them, she knew if she did they would hurt her. Unintentionally, but still.

She had to admit, she felt safe all the way up there where an alarm could go off if you loitered too long outside of the door. Maybe sometimes Bruce Wayne did have good intentions at heart. He hadn't kicked her out yet, even with her being so rude. Sighing, she decided to get over herself and be nicer to him. Even though he was a coward, he was trying to help now. Though, it was frustrating not being able to go to work.

_"He could find you at Wayne Enterprises." He informed her as he walked out of the door._

There was a persistent knocking on the door in question, and Alyss went to answer it, glad for something to do. Looking at the small TV screen beside the door, she saw that it was the cop Gordan said would guard her. Smiling, she opened the door and welcomed him in.

"Miss Brooks? My name is Lieutenant Drake Bently. I'm going to be looking after you until we get The Joker back behind bars." He stepped in slowly, his intelligent brown eyes taking everything in as he looked around. He was a sharp boy, she could tell. He might be able to last three minutes if he met The Joker.

"Welcome. I'm sorry, but the owner of the penthouse is-"

"Right behind you." Bruce walked into the room, his coat on his arm, his eyes assessing the situation in the hallway. Alyss stiffened but made no smart comment. She would be on her best behavior with him. Drake watched the two, trying to see if the playboy had any interest in the girl. Happily, he noted that it was only a fake, polite smirk that graced the billionaire's face as he looked over at Miss Brooks. That observation made his heart swell with relief.

Now he could have a chance.

"Oh… welcome back." She muttered with a forced smile Bruce didn't miss. So she was trying to be amiable again? He inwardly laughed at how she was obviously making an effort.

"Mr. Wayne, my name is-"

"Drake Bently, yes, Commissioner Gordan contacted me an hour ago to inform me of the changes being made to Miss Alyss's safety." Bruce smiled charmingly, ushering them into a sitting room when he proceeded to inform them of updates with the business. Alyss listened avidly, her eyes hardly leaving him as he talked about fluctuation and decline of prices of stocks and such. It was a relief to hear something else than, "Miss Alyss, are you sure you want to delve into Batman's identity?" or, "How about a nice novel?"

"… Not that this business isn't nice and all, but I need to know all entrances and exits for this penthouse. I also need mapping and flooring for all floors in this place. I need to do my job." Drake stood up, his chest puffing out with pride as he stated his business. Bruce gave a trademark smile (more of a smirk) and nodded. Alyss could see scorn through his smile though, and inwardly frowned.

"Of course… let's go and find Alfred, he can give you your necessary information for your… job." Bruce lead him out of the room, and Alyss followed slowly, letting them walk ahead through the lush, carpeted hallway. She felt guilt and a little bit of pain beginning to settle on over her shoulders as she let herself drift back from the two men.

It had been like that a lot. The more time for herself, the more thoughts of her family crept back.

And of course the reason why they died.

Why couldn't she just tell someone? If she could just spit out the bitter words from her lips, she could let someone else deal with it. Her mind would be settled and her family's death would have had some purpose. Not much than what it was now, but at least it was something. She kicked at the pristine tile when she reached a main room that connected to three other hallways and she stopped. Looking up, she saw her reflection in the glass surrounding her, and it made her sick to see her look so pitiful.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked herself softly, her eyes watering. Wiping her tears away quickly, she began her walk, ignoring the pained look she knew she had on her face at that moment. She wanted to tell, but she couldn't. It would be like stabbing someone in the back. She hated just watching people get hurt because of her though.

She was torn between doing what was right, and keeping something safe. She didn't know what was holding her back, but it was tearing her apart.

And she had no one to run to.

* * *

The Joker leaned over the bridge, his face torn between amusement and annoyance. The search for her seemed like it would never end, though his people were infiltrating each and every nook and cranny to find her. He licked his lips in a slightly nervous way, and the feeling unsettled him. The Joker couldn't be nervous, he had nothing to lose.

Until now.

"Sir, we couldn't find any paper work on where she could be." A nervous man came up behind him, but didn't approach too close. A good thing too. The Joker leaned closer to the water and let his feet lift up from the ground, his laughter unsteadying him as he rolled back and forth, legs flailing through the air.

"Did you think you could find her?" He leaned back and landed on his feet, his leer startling the man slightly; he must be a new worker. "What? You're like a child without a sucker, what do you want me to say?" The Joker tugged on his white gloves, a sign of agitation according to the others.

"I-I just don't know what to do now…do you want me to keep looking?" The man pulled his hair slightly; obviously getting antsier the longer The Joker stared at him. The Joker let his grin take over his face and he kept staring, letting the silence drag on. The boy broke into a sweat after another minute and spluttered, "Also…y-y-your protégé lived. I was t-told to tell you…" He had been put up to it, actually. It was either tell the boss or get beaten and still have to tell the boss.

"Well… that's news. But what's wrong? You seem jumpy, son… are you positive you're fine?" The Joker rested his arms on the ledge of the bridge, waving them leisurely like a casual conductor to a symphony. "It's not a part of the plan whether he lived or dieD. Do… do you want to know why?" The Joker grinned encouragingly at the kid before him.

"W-w-why?" He gulped inaudibly.

"Because I don't have a plan. I'm just here with one intent. Kill that wench. However it gets done doesn't matter to me. Everyone seems to be under the impression that because I don't have a plan I don't know what I'm doiiing." He let his words drag and when he became bored, he continued. "I know what I'm doing. I'm getting rid of old trash. What happens when you get cut and don't clean it?" The Joker suddenly lunged and swiftly passed the henchman who stared at him, panicked. As he reached the other side of the bridge, the boy cried out and fell, his hands grasping at his gut, red slowly staining his clothes. The Joker pulled his knife fully out of his pocket, red lining the side of it. Chuckling, he continued. "The cut festers. A big infection grows." He began circling the boy, his eyes wild. "And you feel the pain." He flicked his wrist, and the flash of silver showed that the knife was embedded in the boy's arm. He groaned in pain and grabbed at it. The Joker lowered himself down to the boy's level, his sardonic grin covering his face.

"What's your name, boy?" The Joker grabbed his chin and forced him to look up.

"A… Aaron." His breathing was harsh and ragged, much to The Joker's amusement. With a grin, he pulled the knife out, relishing in the gasp of pain Aaron gave. He pulled the knife up and licked the edge, his painted grin still in place.

"Aaron… I like that name. But as I was saying, Aaron, it would be beneficial to listen while I talk." He nudged Aaron with his shoe. The boy fell to the other side, his hands clamped over his wound. His eyes were screwed shut in pain, and The Joker felt his own temper begin to grow.

"LOOK AT ME!" He growled and leaned over the boy, his eyes now blazing. Aaron managed to crack an eye and stare up, much to The Joker's delight. "As it festers, it makes an unpleasant sMell. Haha, and as it grows and smells… bugs begin to gnaw at it. They enjoy the smell of dead skin and rotting flesh. A-and when you think it couldn't get worse…" He stopped circling the boy to suddenly lunge and slam his knife into Aaron's ribs. Aaron's eyes widened in pain, but it was past the point of noise. He only stared up, waiting for death. The Joker loved that look; it was a look of misunderstanding and grief as someone finally gave in to death.

"The pain becomes unbearable. You want it to stop. You… you just want it to end. But it won't. You just can't get rid of that nagging pain, but you can't let it go." He pulled the knife out and stood up, his eyes dancing. "It's a part of you." He savagely kicked Aaron, watching as the boy wordlessly rolled over, the only way of knowing he still breathed air was the fast rise and fall of his chest. The Joker leaned down, his mouth right next to the boy's ear. His hot breath rolled over Aaron's face, but he couldn't move to stop it, he could hardly draw breath.

"Do you want it to stop, Aaron?" He breathed, giggling harshly. The boy didn't answer, just held himself as blood pooled around him, his life ebbing slowly, painfully away.

"I'll make the conclusion fast then, you seem in a hurry." The Joker stood up slowly, laughing at his own joke. "The girl has to die… so the, ah, the smell will fade. So the festered wound heals, you could say. How it gets done… I don't care. I just want the trash taken out." The Joker looked down and then jumped, as if surprised. "Well lookie here, someone's already taken half out. How kind of them."

* * *

**Well, that was short. Let me know what you think, kk??**


	9. Father

** Thanks for your reviews!! Ah, they really keep me going. Oh, and my puppy's name is Bruce Wayne. Well, I got a puppy, for starters. And then I named him Bruce Wayne. His name tag is so cool!!**

**R&R please!! **

**You know, I noticed that people kick out stories on here… but they hardly review… I wonder why?**

* * *

Drake walked through the penthouse, his breathing light as he made his way slowly down the hall. Darkness filtered in and the ominous feeling gave him the chills, but he ignored the feeling. Everyone was asleep in the house, save him. He had seen Alyss go to sleep for himself, and had watched Mr. Wayne retire to his room moments after. Drake smiled to himself, remembering the awkward politeness between the two of them.

Turning the corner, Drake began pushing the alarm buttons so that he could go up to the top of the roof where he was supposed to meet- he could scarcely admit this- his partner, Batman. He shuddered at the thought of actually being on the same side as that horrid beast, but here he was, obviously on that side. If his colleagues could see him now, they'd cuff him.

The top of the penthouse was eerie and cold, the wind whipping over the top of the roof. Drake pulled his coat closer to his torso and walked to the center of the roof, his gaze narrowed as he looked around for any idea as to where the vigilante was.

"You shouldn't stand in the middle of the area, it creates an easy target." The growl startled Drake out of his serious state, and he jumped, forgetting his training for a second to cower like a child. As he gained control of himself, he felt the rage in his chest begin to build as he looked at the man to blame for his anger.

"Do you always have to sneak up on people like that?" He snapped, adjusting his shirt, the strain obvious in his voice.

"Yes." Was the only reply.

"… The area is secure. Bruce checks out ok and the butler too. Alyss is… well, bored. She's not thinking about anything that will set her or anyone off. She's just trying to keep the peace." There was a deadened silence as Drake stared up at his one real "enemy" his dislike clear on his face. If Batman didn't know any better, the over eager cop had a personal grudge against him.

"How do we know they check out fine?" His guttural growl seemed hoarse, weary.

"I know my work. You just do yours." Drake turned and walked back to the door that would lead him to a relatively warm atmosphere. He didn't have to turn back to see that Batman was gone.

* * *

_Her steps were light as she slipped along the wall to the next room. Excitement almost made her laugh at how far she'd gotten, but she managed to bottle up her real emotion. She had a mission to do. _

_"Hey boss, why're we here?" A thick southern drawl called out as she listened. There was no answer though, and when the man asked again, there was a gun shot that echoed the halls. The girl clapped her hands over her ears, trying to stem the ringing. She stood there as she listened to someone scrambling around, her heart hammering in her chest. Suddenly, a door slammed, and footsteps faded. Still, she waited five more minutes before moving. _

_She couldn't believe she was here; the door was right in front of her. With a grin on her face, she entered in the code and stepped into the doorway. It was a simple room with only a few boxes of papers. She didn't need to scramble through them clumsily; she knew where it was. The only thing she needed was right here._

_"Bingo." She whispered, opening the lid. _

Alyss shot up from bed, her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. Her heart hammered in her throat, and the beat slammed a tattoo against her clammy skin. She stared around the cream colored room in a slightly panicked gaze, half seeing the cold and grey basement in her mind's eye. With a shake of her head, she calmed herself slowly but surely.

"Forget about it." She whispered angrily, a frown coloring her tone. She climbed out of bed and slipped down the carpeted hallway, pushing away the resemblance between her sneakiness now versus before. Her steps light, she found her way into the kitchen and over to the freezer. Opening it, she found her favorite late night snack and began munching on it.

"Who eats cold snicker bars?" Someone asked, clearly amused. Jumping, Alyss whirled around to see Drake smiling faintly at her. Steadying her hammering heart, Alyss managed to laugh.

"I do, obviously." She noted brightly to him, noticing the way he watched her. Alyss had never been vain, but she knew she was a little pretty. She didn't know why he was looking at her in that way though; she had bed head and a dazed look about her.

"Besides you." Drake closed the freezer door and followed her as she went to sit at the bar in the kitchen. The only light was a small, automatic lamp on the table, but Alyss didn't mind. As she looked at Drake's professional appearance, she didn't want him to see her bedraggled one.

"Well… Alfred is the one stocking up on them. So, him too." She shrugged and studied his appearance, wondering how he kept himself to pristine. His light brown hair was parted to the side and still in place. He didn't tug at it or touch it as he sat there, looking around the room and then back at her. His hazel eyes took in everything, the color clear and pretty. His skin had a few blemishes, but he seemed in his early twenties, like Alyss. The only thing she noticed that might make him seem unattractive was the slightly too big nose.

"Or he could have just gotten it for you." Drake observed, teasing. After meeting with his partner, he wanted to relax. He watched, slightly wary, as her face fell and she stopped eating the candy bar.

"Oh… I hadn't thought of it like that." She muttered, embarrassed. Alyss hated people buying things for her. She always felt like she owed them something. Deciding to change topics, she asked quickly, "So, why are you awake?"

"Guarding you." He replied simply, not angry or happy. He didn't seem to care; he was only doing his job.

"At three in the morning?" She asked incredulously. Drake cracked a lopsided smile and nodded.

"If I didn't know any better," Alyss teased, laughing, "I'd say you were Batman." Alyss smiled, but the action quickly stopped when she saw the look on Drake's face. His relaxed appearance suddenly stiffened, and his gaze hardened to one of intense anger and hatred. The calm feeling in the room dissolved and Alyss could almost see the ripples of adrenaline suddenly rolling off of Drake in waves.

"There's no way I could ever be him." He snarled, his hazel eyes hardened in revulsion. Alyss accidentally flinched away at the venom in his voice. She glanced down to see his hands clenched into fists.

"Ok, I was only kidding." She said shakily, scared he would start off in a tangent. She scooted her chair out and went around to his side to shake his shoulder, concern furrowing her brow. For some reason, she knew he wasn't meaning to be so uncontrollable and volatile. Drake calmed down after a few moments, his eyes closed. Opening his eyes, he looked over, and embarrassment turned his face bright red.

"I…I'm sorry. It's just… I hate that man." He finished lamely. Alyss raised an eyebrow in question.

"It's hard to talk about, I just get so angry." He wrung his hands in regret and Alyss shook her head, realizing he was misunderstanding her.

"No… it's totally ok. If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. I was just startled." Setting in the chair next to his, Alyss waited patiently in the darkness for him to answer.

"… I hate Batman… because he killed my father."

* * *

**So that was a shocker, eh, eh? Haha, I was finally able to spit a chapter out after football, so be proud!!**


	10. Poison Ivy

**Thanks so much for your reviews, author alerts, favorite story thingy's, and favorite author things!! My puppy is a Pomeranian, and he's not the annoying kind that yap a lot. He's the biggest kind of Pomeranian I could find, and he doesn't really bark. He's adorable!! **

**R&R!**

* * *

The school was bright and cheerful as children ran from it, their delighted screaming making another person smile as well. His face was twisted into a sick sort of grin that people turned away from, their fear plain on their face. The people of Gotham knew this man, and they knew the terrors he could unfold. But their own sense of justice said to take their children home as fast as they could, instead of calling the police.

A few children looked openly at him, their faces set in a morbid curiosity. The Joker had to laugh sickeningly at that. Children were always so brave and curious about things they knew they were supposed to fear. They wanted to know exactly why they feared things. So, why not find out for themselves?

"Hello… children." The Joker flashed his yellow teeth at them, his face more of a snarl than a welcoming grin. The kids walked boldly in their fragile bodies, their eyes alight with questions. Only one managed to feel hesitance though, a small girl with red pigtails and blue eyes. She gave him one long, hard glare before turning around and flouncing back into the school.

"Hey, are you a magician?" One boy with glasses asked in a high pitched voice. The Joker grinned again before pinching the boy's cheek, hard.

"I can be. You want to see a magic trick?" The Joker pulled out a ruler from the boy's backpack. "I can make this ruler go through one ear… and out of the other." The children's eyes grew wide with awe, and they easily forgot about his strange clown makeup, eager to see the trick. The Joker grabbed the kid's face, strangely gentle. His eyes gleamed darkly as he put the ruler close to the boy's head. The look of crazed anticipation The Joker gave would have sent many running, but their minds were clouded with ideas of magic, and the area was suddenly void of any adults.

"And here… I go." The Joker pulled his arm back, and as he was swinging the ruler through the air, a slender hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve, saving the small child in the nick of time. They all collectively gasped and lowered their heads submissively as they looked to the rescuer they didn't know they needed.

"Let's save the magic tricks for another day. Children, will you please go to the bus ramp and get home?" The voice was smooth, alluring, and convincing. The Joker almost found himself walking away with the runts to the bus stop. He shook his head and smiled to himself; he knew the tricks she used.

"You can leave now." The serum was being used heavily today, he could tell by the amount of pressure he felt to leave. Still, he had a vaccine to stop it. As he stood there, his eyes taking her appearance in, The Joker had to laugh at the look of shock crossing the beautiful woman's face when he didn't leave.

"You seem surprised… and apprehensive." His cruel drawl grated on the woman's nerves, but she managed to stand her ground. Her green eyes narrowed in anger, and she flipped her long red hair behind her head.

"Merely annoyed, I assure you." She stated with a glare.

"Your statements… they, ah, they hurt me the most." The Joker laughed at his own joke, and in response the woman turned and began walking back into the school, the only indication that he could follow was a casual flick of the wrist. As The Joker followed her into the school and to the Principal's office, he noted the many pictures of children crowding around her, adoration clear on their faces. There were a lot of drawings of hearts and flowers, the childish scrawl almost endearing to see. The Joker grinned widely, seeing her weakness immediately. But he had known it before he had come. Now, it was merely screaming at him from all sides.

"What do you want?" As the lady sat down in her swivel chair, he noted the many green colors and plants adorning the desk and shelves. The school was definitely eco- friendly.

"Well… Principal Ivy… or should I say… Poison Ivy… I have a favor to ask." The Joker licked his lips and smiled at the look of anger instead of surprise that crossed her face.

"I'm well aware that you know who I was. That person, however badly you want her, is dead." She stood up, her eyes flashing dangerously as she turned to look out of the window and into the sun. The Joker fell into the chair in front of her desk, lounging across it like it was a chaise.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." He smacked his lips when her back went rigid. Ivy folded her arms and turned slightly to glare at him.

"And why not?" She asked in a hollow voice. The Joker relaxed more in his chair and leaned back a little.

"I wasn't going to contact you, sweet cheeks, I really wasn't. But I saw something that… well, it gave a hint to your real motives. You see, the world is killing itself. I'm just here to speed up the process. So are you." He ran a gloved hand over the scars near his lips. "I saw the car that you, ah, you ravaged. Ivy running all through it, around it, under it, in it, out of it. You can't say that that wasn't you. Well, you can, but then you'd be a liar." He grinned when she snapped her head back to the window, the reflection betraying the guilt on her face.

"You're crazy." She spat after a few moments of silence. The Joker froze when he heard it, and his heart hammering in his chest, he managed to grind out from scarred lips, "No. I'm. NoT. I'm not crazy. I don't know why I have to keep saying that."

There was a tense silence as Ivy realized how angry he was about it. She could practically hear the venom dripping off of him from her statement.

"Here's how I see it, sweetie. You help me... and I… I uh help you." Ivy choked on her laughter, and whirling around, she faced him full on, her green eyes blazing. The plants in the room began growing slowly, their vines and bulbs reaching abnormal sizes as they struggled to reach their mistress.

"I don't need your help." She spat. "I'm going to save this planet, one city at a time if I have to. I don't need the likes of you to help me; you're trying to destroy the one thing I love! If you get in my way, I'll kill you too." She was now surrounded by thick vines, the shape similar to that of a man. She leaned back against it, as if it were a lover, and she stroked a flower lovingly.

"What about the children?" The Joker remained in his relaxed position; his lax face told her he wasn't really interested.

"What about them?"

"What will you do when they turn into the exact same monsters as their parents? The world really is a simple thing… they take after the thing before them. Their little ants all working for a queen ant that bites their head off when she's done with them." The Joker stood up and brushed a vine off of his jacket. "When you want to take your little dream a little more seriously, call me." Smirking, he flicked his card over onto her desk, the joker on the cover facing up. Backing up, he walked out of the office, a sneer plastered onto his face. The halls echoed eerily, but The Joker wasn't paying attention to that. He was busy counting seconds on his fingers, and when he hit the double doors to the outside, he began counting out loud.

"Five… four… three… two… one…"

"Joker." He wasn't disappointed. Still, he kept walking, humming loudly and obnoxiously as he hit the steps outside, the beat of his shoes thumping in his head. As the sun hit his face, he slowed down, letting himself get caught.

"Hey…" Ivy was suddenly next to him, her pretty face torn between disgust and a begrudging acknowledgment. The Joker smiled warmly, noticing the way her frown deepened when she looked at his scars.

"Yeeeeeeeeeees?" He dragged out the word, his tongue darting out to lick the thick paint on his lips.

"I'll… help." She muttered the last part, her face dark with anger. The Joker beamed, his distorted smile reaching ear to ear.

"Sweet cheeks, I'm delighted." He cackled. "What made you change your mind?"

"Nothing about you." She growled. Suddenly, the little girl with the red hair flounced up, her face set in a serious stare as she looked up. Her blue eyes assessed him openly, the curiosity wary, unlike the other children's. The Joker grinned evilly, comprehension dawning.

"The wee bonny lass is yours... oh the fun we shall have." He was leering now.

"You will have." Ivy corrected harshly, her arm wrapped protectively around the girl. She then turned and addressed her daughter. "Keeya, go and get your things together, we're leaving." The Joker giggled and as he turned to walk away, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, his voice loud and mocking as he sang, "My daddy lies over the ocean… my mommy lies over the sea… a dumb man lied over poor Ivy… and that's how they got little Kee!"

* * *

**So, that was a short chapter, more of a filler, but I've only been able to be on a computer for about an hour a day, and that's taken up with homework, so I'm sorry!!**

**Now, before anyone says anything, I know that Poison Ivy would have never really teamed up with The Joker. She was too close to Harley Quinn to do something like that. She actually hated The Joker. This is what I was trying to portray. But, some things have to happen. Such as that. All will be revealed!**

**Next chapter reveals Alyss's reaction to Drake's accusation!! **


	11. Deary, Darling, Bekka

**So... nothing much to say, haha. Thank you to the one review! You know, That really motivated me.  
**

**So, I realized that I wasn't really helping with the whole time line thing… yeah… so, I'm going to start the chapters from now on with what day it is since The Joker's first attack/ escape. That's day one obviously. **

**So, reviews? Those are nice, haha. **

* * *

_**Tenth Day**_

"Alyss… Aaalyss…" Someone was nudging her gently, and Alyss turned her head to the other side, her body scooting away. It was then to her groggy surprise that she felt herself falling and her eyes popped open in pain as she hit the cold tile of the kitchen floor. There was the sound of metal grating against rock, and someone was grabbing her arm, their voice concerned but obviously amused as they asked, "Are you alright?"

"I think so…" Alyss warbled, her voice thick with fatigue. She looked to her side to see a very suave looking Bruce Wayne holding her arm as he looked at her face, his brow furrowed.

"You think so?" He asked, skeptical. He raised an eyebrow as she nodded, so to prove him wrong, Alyss stood up, her face set in stone. Her butt ached something fierce, and her head throbbed, causing her to begin to fall back against her will. Bruce caught her by the shoulder, and held her up, laughing smugly.

"What were you doing asleep in my kitchen?" He asked as he settled her on her chair. Turning around, he went over to the counter to show her a box of snickers. "Late night eating?"

"You force me to stay in your house; I can sleep in whichever room I want to." Alyss retorted tiredly, half forgetting to be polite. She ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the dark blond tangles. Bruce looked back at her with a smirk, something glinting in his eyes.

"Oh, every room? And out of all the rooms to sleep in, you choose the one with cold stone floors and a hard fall when you wake up?" Bruce grabbed a cup of coffee, courtesy of Alfred, and surveyed her as he leaned against the counter behind him.

"Well, the bed is too nice. I'm used to cheap, hard beds." Alyss leaned foreword, her face close to the island top. "This is comfy to me."

"The living room has that kind of floor. Why not sleep there? Or the garage… that is certainly hard floored enough. The bathroom has a marble tub… much more comfortable." Bruce leaned forward, a smirk playing across his face. Truth be told, he didn't usually banter with people he was trying to protect, but she wasn't exactly the normal damsel in distress. He found himself feeling an attraction to her, despite the rumpled hair and tired eyes.

"If you're going to offer all of these suggestions, than pray tell me where you would want me to sleep?" Alyss locked eyes with him, her face unreadable. Bruce had to laugh. Either she didn't know the innuendo she was making, or she was offering that sort of thing.

"Do you really want to know?" He breathed, his eyes scorching. Alyss didn't know why she was still talking, she needed to stop. He wasn't the type of guy you just flirted with; that named you one of his trashy girls.

"You seem to have the best advice, or so you claim." She stopped playing with her hair to mess sub-consciously with her necklace. Bruce grinned inwardly at the way that she couldn't stay still.

"Well, I find I can be very… persuasive." Bruce felt himself becoming the man he was used to being; the mysterious, flirtatious man of every girl's dreams.

"I would love to see you try." She replied, half glaring, half smug.

"You're in my penthouse, aren't you?" Alyss wanted to smack something; he was right!

"Against my will!"

"No one is asking you to stay."

"No one is telling me to leave."

"Then why are you here?"

"…" Alyss didn't exactly know why she stayed. She racked her brains for something that kept her lodged in the nice house, but the only thing she felt there was safety. It was high tech enough that there would be surveillance and the people were on constant watch. She would put up with a spoiled rich boy for protection.

"No answer?" Bruce gave a slightly lopsided smirk that seemed to be the most natural of all of his smiles. "I guess I win then."

"Am I interrupting something?" Alyss looked to see Drake standing in the kitchen, his face polite but his eyes narrowed. Alyss turned back to see that in the middle of their bantering, they had moved towards each other and their faces were merely inches apart, the only thing separating them being the island in the kitchen. Alyss blushed a furious red and moved away, her face scorching. Bruce moved back slowly, a smirk dominating his face. He raised an eyebrow to the cop before taking a drink of his coffee and walking towards the door to leave for work. Alyss was clutching her necklace again, the metal her safety float amongst the feeling of drowning in embarrassment.

"Oh, and Alyss," Bruce called, stopping her rampant train of thought. Glancing back behind her, Alyss could still see his cocky grin. "I was thinking more along the lines of my room."

Alyss buried her head in her arms in mortification.

* * *

"I'm telling you, it was mortifying!" Alyss smacked the steering wheel of her car in frustration, her face still slightly red. To her left sat her best friend, Sariah, and behind her sat her friend's sister, Bekka. With the permission of a very hesitant Alfred, Alyss had left the penthouse, needing room to breathe. For some reason, the house that could fit twelve of her apartments, easily, wasn't enough space to breathe.

"Girl… you're in the house of a billionaire playboy, you have a kind of cute policeman playing guardian, both seem interested, and you're complaining?" Sariah smiled and tilted her sunglasses down to stare at her friend. "I think you're on something. Do the rich also enjoy petty drugs?" Sariah was a dark haired, half Asian, half American girl with tan skin, long black hair, and dark eyes. She was tall, flirty, and fun, and had many boys wrapped around her finger. She was also too slow with logic to realize it.

"That's why I'm complaining! Drake is cool, and now he thinks I'm messing around with Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne now thinks I'm interested, and is going to treat me like every other bimbo that he's ever been interested in. Apparently, The Joker guy is after me, and I'm on the top of his list!" Alyss felt her friend shaking with laughter, and she elbowed her in the ribs, trying to reel in her hysteria. She couldn't lose it now.

"Well… Mrs. Bond… isn't your life quite the adventure. Want to trade?" Sariah joked, her eyes sparkling with a kind humor. Alyss groaned as they pulled into the mall parking lot, and as she laid her head down, she almost hit a truck as the car ran through the stop sign.

"WHOA! Alyss… maybe you should keep your eyes on the road. This calls for drastic measure. You have to get this off of your mind. What were they thinking, locking you up?" Sariah laughed as they parked and began the long walk through the parking lot to the mall entrance. "Bekka, make a list of things we need to do to help Alyss get her mind off of this." Bekka smiled shyly and instantly began writing down some things on a notepad she always had. Bekka was the quieter of the two, and her looks were more subtle. She dressed for a stylish comfort, whereas Sariah dressed for style. Bekka liked classical music, Sariah liked bars and partying. They were still crazily close though.

"I'm just running on drive and instinct." Alyss mumbled as she allowed herself to be drug into the air conditioned building. Sariah nodded understandably, her face set in a determined line.

"Don't worry chica. I've got you covered." Sariah hugged her friend, suddenly feeling a lot of pity for Alyss. "You have been through too much for me to quit on you now."

* * *

"So… what do you think?" Alyss laughed as they three walked out of the mall, their faces alight with mirth.

"He was cute. But he was more interested in Bekka! Honestly, we're going to hook you up with him, Bekka." Sariah gushed, looking over at her sister, a plan already forming.

"What about Drake? He was there all the time. You should try for him, Sariah." Alyss pressed the thought, smiling at the comical look of horror.

"Me? Please. He was staring at you the whole time."

"Because it's his job to guard me." Alyss felt suddenly a little awkward, but she suppressed it. They had done too much for her to simply succumb to the dread deep down.

"Well… he was still staring." Sariah waved a hand impatiently away, but as she did so, she dropped her bags, the clothes and shoes spilling out. As Alyss and her stopped to pick everything up, Bekka took Alyss's things and continued to the car, her kindness touching. Bekka never had much to say, but she was always there to help.

"I'm such a klutz!" Sariah joked, her laughter echoing throughout the parking lot. It was fairly empty; most people were in the busier part of town, working. Bekka was already in the car as they stood up, laughing.

"Your sister could be a track runner!" Alyss exclaimed. The car was pretty far out from where they stood.

"Yeah, she's a fast walker. I love her to death." Sariah gushed.

"She's sweet. Hey, what's-" Alyss's question was interrupted as they were blown backwards with a rush of heat as Alyss's car exploded in a rush of flame and hot metal. Alyss landed in a heap on the pavement, pain lancing up her back as she looked up to a sky of heat waves. There was a loud roaring noise, and the scream of metal burning hurt her ears. It hurt to breathe, let alone move, but adrenaline caused her to lurch to her knees, her eyes watering as the fire from the car soaked up all of the moisture in the air.

Alyss looked around, panic clear on her face as looked for her friends. She saw Sariah had landed on a car, her arm bent funny as she struggled to her feet. Her face was twisted in horror as she stared at the burning heap.

"BEKKA!" Sariah screamed, and almost in synch, the two took off running towards the flames. The heat intensified, but shock and worry made it seem a petty thought to Alyss as she rushed to her friend. Sariah seemed to not notice her arm dangling uselessly at her side as she picked up speed. As they drew closer though, Alyss felt herself being jerked back by someone. She struggled against the person, and she looked to see Sariah fighting and shrieking as she tried to get to her sister. Neither girl could calm down enough to see Drake pulling them away from the growing flame, his yells drowned out by the roar of the flame.

With a grunt of effort, Drake managed to drag them away from the danger, their attempts seemingly nothing to him. He pulled them against his chest, his arms wrapped around them to prevent them from escaping. As they reached the sidewalk, he managed to get a call in to the fire department and the police department, still holding onto the both of them. Alyss had stopped struggling, her face twisted in shock as she stared at the flames. Sariah was fighting with all of her strength though, her eyes wide with fear and desperation. She was yelling and crying, her face streaked with tears, and Alyss started crying too, pain both emotional and physical.

Drake pulled them to the curb and they both crumpled, Alyss clinging to her friend as Sariah sobbed. Drake was talking into his phone, his yells indistinct to the roaring in Alyss's ears.

"IT'S… YES… I-I… THE FIRE… SIR… OK" His voice came in and out, and Alyss had to focus on holding her friend, tears falling from her face in a rush.

The medic van arrived in no time, and Sariah was quickly taken away to have her obviously broken arm splinted. She was barely manageable, from what Alyss could see, it took four people to get her into the van; all the while she struggled as she screamed her sister's name. Alyss was still on the curb, her face red from crying, her body shaking from shock. No one but Drake and Gordan paid any attention to her, both of them unsure of what to say. Alyss stood up suddenly, her eyes watering as she looked at the firemen taking care of her car, the smoke rushing up, the remnants of the vehicle telling her that there was no chance Bekka survived. She took a step towards the vehicle, tears falling again, but Drake had his arms instantly around her, holding her as she broke down in more sobs as the weight of everything from the past two weeks raining down on her.

"Alyss… it'll be ok. It'll be ok, I promise." Drake whispered, consoling her desperately. Alyss let him hold onto her as she shook, needing someone to hold her as she cried. It seemed like forever until she was lead away into the medic van to be checked out. Gordan and Drake rode in the back with her, guns drawn as they wheeled away. Someone had done a bomb check before they had left.

"Alyss…" Commissioner Gordan began to talk, but he stopped, unsure of how to proceed.

"I shouldn't have left the penthouse." Alyss whispered softly, her voice clogged from crying. As the medics dealt with the cuts and open wounds, they worked silently and quickly, wary of another person who they would have to restrain.

"Alyss, that wasn't your fault." Gordan said loudly, making her jump. He leaned foreword, his eyes earnest as he stared into hers. "You did nothing wrong."

"If I had just stayed where I was supposed to-"

"Then who knows? Maybe he would have found you there too."

"We're lucky it was just one of you." One of the medics unthinkingly muttered. Alyss snapped, springing from her seat so fast no one had time to pin her down.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" She yelled, her eyes blazing. "Don't you DARE say that! I'm leaving a trail of death behind me, and all you can think of is that only one died this time!?" She raised an arm to slap the other woman in question, but Gordan grabbed her hand in the nick of time.

"Alyss, slapping her won't help. True, she needs to hold her tongue." Gordan silenced the suddenly sheepish medic with a look. "But violence only causes more violence. Don't let yourself play his game. We don't know why he's after you, but we'll stop this before it gets too big. I promise you, her death will not be in vain."

Alyss sunk back onto the chair, guilt gnawing on her very being.

* * *

**Yay action! I had to add a bit, I felt like it was getting boring. We all know how The Joker loves his explosives!! Anywho, I know I said that I would reveal Drake's past in this chapter, but I didn't. :( I'm sorry, but I've already got chapter 12 ready, and I know that's the one that reveals it!!**

**MUAH!**

**You see that little button down to the left? Yeah… use it, please?**


	12. I Got Style

**Wow... lots of feed back going on here... I can feel the love...**

* * *

_**Tenth Day**_

Bruce sat in his chair, observing the data before him. The camera clearly showed Poison Ivy leaving the school, her face set in anger and determination. Her child followed slowly, dragging her heels as she tried to talk to her mother. Ivy, however, wouldn't have it. Zooming in, Bruce froze the image of Ivy's face, staring at it curiously. Ivy hadn't been too much of a problem; she was only doing what she thought was right. The image on the screen said that she was afraid. Something had happened that had made her abandon the school she had started so that she could help the world in her own way.

"Mr. Wayne?" Lucius entered the room, his face grave. Bruce frowned at the obvious discomfort that his close friend was feeling, and standing up, he reached the man in two strides.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Miss Brooks was attacked again. The person missed their target and now one of her friends is in the hospital and the other is dead." Lucius grabbed his friend's shoulder and shook it slightly. Bruce froze and stared at the wall, his heart suddenly pounding as an icy cold feeling settled into his chest and spread along his torso and down his body as if the feeling was connected to his blood stream.

"It's The Joker, of course." Bruce managed to grind out from suddenly clenched teeth. The past week had been tormenting him as he had flown for hours, catching random petty criminals and trying to locate the beast of a man. For some reason though, The Joker was being sneakier about his motions than usual. He was obviously planning something big. For some reason though, it was centered on Alyss.

"Who else?"

"Alyss is the cause of this, somehow." Bruce ran a hand through his neat and tidy hair in frustration.

"You've been around her the most, Mr. Wayne. You would be the one to know." Mr. Fox shook his head, confused.

"I know she's hiding something… I just don't know what. I have to find out, but…" Bruce waved his hands in the air to express their less than friendly relationship.

"She's not partial to you, I'm guessing." Mr. Fox smiled at Bruce's nod.

"So show her why she should be. May I inquire though, why is she staying with you?"

"It is safer in my house than anywhere else." Bruce didn't know exactly why he was having her stay there. He felt guilty for having her stay, but couldn't bear to see her leave.

"If I didn't know any better, Mr. Wayne, I'd say that someone had developed a little crush on someone." Mr. Fox grinned at the odd look that crossed Bruce's face.

"I don't think so. Besides, if The Joker gets her there, Batman can get him." Bruce wanted to disappear into the floor when he realized what he had just said. Mr. Fox raised an eyebrow at the obvious callousness in that statement, but made no comment to it.

"I'd suggest Mr. Wayne that you prepare for a squad of policemen to be in your house at all times then, if she's staying." Mr. Fox nodded his head before turning and leaving. Bruce leaned back against his desk, his face pulled into a grimace as he realized what he had just said. That wasn't the real reason as to why she was there. In all actuality, it was because he cared a little bit for her. He didn't want to, but he did. The fact that he cared for anyone besides Alfred, Lucius, and himself right now scared him, and he felt horrible for even caring in general. He felt like he was betraying Rachel, and he knew he wasn't over her. Glancing back at the computer, he saw the frozen image of fear on Ivy's face, and for a second he knew that feeling all too well. Straightening his tie, he turned and walked out of the office, knowing that the computer would wipe the memory of anything pertaining to Batman, like he had programmed it to.

* * *

The hospital was silent as Alyss waited for Alfred to arrive. The side of the hospital Alyss waited on was almost empty, the only live people were either sedated or in a coma. The nurses didn't speak; the doctors walked with a silent lope.

Sariah had been sedated and was currently in the room next to Alyss's chair. Alyss could still hear her friend's screams of emotional torment as the flames rose up against the bright blue sky.

Shuddering, Alyss looked around the white washed walls, the blank plaster unnerving her. The color was supposed to have a neutral, calming effect, but all it did was remind her of The Joker's white face paint.

_"It's so bizarre. Someone who's supposed to give us hope is the one killing us off." Drake smiled bitterly as he looked down at his hands and then back up at her. Alyss remained motionless as she listened with a heavy heart. _

_"It was just this last year… I mean, I was just starting out as a cop. My dad was also a cop, and he was the senior of the police force for the narrows. He was proud to say that he had never turned crooked. He was in the position that if he wanted to, he could have been the worst problem for the police force. He was amazing at what he did. _

_Then the Joker came out of no where. My dad was so into the case that he almost forgot his family on numerous occasions. He was adamant that I stop working because he didn't want me hurt. I told him a lot that as long as that lunatic was alive, I would be on the force. At that time… I believed that batman would be the one to help. I had seen glimpses of him with Gordan, but I concluded that at least he was working with us, and not against us. _

_Then…the all too known threat about batman turning himself in that scared everyone into wanting batman to reveal himself. Still, the cops that knew or had suspicions about Gordan and batman stayed strong in their beliefs. We knew that we couldn't let him answer to a terrorist. I wouldn't be able to deal with that thought in mind. _

… _But then police began dying. And a couple of friends died. Still, a couple of us didn't want him to turn himself in. We knew it was for a bigger cause. Even when Mr. Dent claimed he was batman so they could get The Joker, we didn't want batman to turn himself in. But the night that everyone was trying to leave Gotham, we had the location of The Joker and we had his cronies and thugs sighted. Batman claimed that they weren't the real people, and though he turned out to be right… it cost us."_

"_How did it cost you?" Alyss hated the way he closed his eyes at this. She had already guessed how he had died, but she prayed that she was wrong. _

_"Batman decided that instead of warning all of officers of what had happened, he would stop them from getting to the people. He cut the wiring that a few were climbing up to get to the top floor. Well… the fall was a minor one, but one man did die from it. That man… was my father." _

_"Oh… I'm so sorry." Alyss whispered into the silence of the room. Drake bent his head and looked like he was trying to pull himself back together. _

_"It's been a while since then… but any faith I had in that one man is gone. I see now that he doesn't want to show others to have hope, he wants to be the only one saving and helping. Forget justice, forget fairness, he wants violence. He'll never understand the grief of losing someone close." Drake looked up, his eyes telling her that he had never let it go. "Not like you. Not like me."_

Alyss breathed in slowly, leaning her head against the cool wall. She didn't agree with Drake, but she knew that his grief was going to eat him alive. She shuddered at the haunted look in his eyes, and she pulled her knees up to her chest, holding herself together.

"Miss Alyss?" Alfred's voice startled her out of her thoughts, and Alyss looked up to see him watching her worriedly. Alyss realized that she had been crying, and she wiped her tears away, a smile on her face.

"Hello, Alfred." Standing up, she managed to stay standing, even though she was aching basically everywhere.

"I have the car pulled up so we can leave whenever you're ready, ma'am." Alfred watched her carefully, noticing the way she averted her gaze whenever he tried to look her in the eyes. It was obvious she blamed herself, like Mr. Bruce had. He felt an enormous amount of pity as she attempted to take her pain and reel it in. She was a strong girl; that much was plain and obvious.

"Thanks a lot, Alfred. I'll just get my stuff when we get there so I can go." Alyss followed him by his side as he walked at a leisure pace.

"What are you talking about, Miss Alyss? I hope you're not trying to say that you plan on leaving." Alfred opened her door and she climbed in, avoiding eye contact. As Alfred got in and drove off, she continued.

"One of my closest friends just died. That was supposed to be me, Alfred. I can't stay where people can be hurt." Alyss kept her gaze straight ahead, scared to look to her left where she knew Alfred would be shaking his head in disappointment.

"So you're just going to wander around until he finds you?" Alyss was surprised to hear sarcasm in his voice. Turning her head, Alyss glared.

"What would you have me do? People are dying, Alfred! I feel terrible… I don't want any more blood on my hands." She looked at him, surprised to see pain in his eyes as she studied his face.

"… I can't possibly begin to tell you what you should do Miss Alyss, only you can. In my opinion, I would endure. Not a lot of people can do that… not a lot of people were made to. There are some that can. It's always their choice as to whether they will… but most times they do. It's what they were made for. To be the one who others look down on for going through with it. That's what I would do." Alfred reached over and grabbed her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. Alyss looked down, shamefully hunching her shoulders. Why was she doing this to herself? Letting everyone else suffer?

The rest of the ride was silent, save for the soft classical music emitting from the speakers of the car. When they reached the penthouse, three cops opened Alyss's door and escorted her up, their guns drawn, their faces alert. When they reached the top, two went foreword to secure the area, and one stayed by her side, fury clear on his face.

"Miss Brooks, the area is secure. Please follow us." Grabbing her elbow firmly, the one who seemed to be her personal body guard guided her to the front door of the penthouse where the door was being held open by none other than Bruce Wayne.

"Sir, we're going to have to check the rooms." One of the front men addressed Bruce politely, though his stance told everyone he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Of course, go right on ahead." Smiling thinly, Bruce allowed everyone to go in before him. As Alfred passed, Bruce grabbed his arm gently, asking in a low voice, "How is she?"

"She's trying to run for it, sir." Alfred smiled thinly and shook his head.

"Run for it? How?" Bruce frowned at his butler's choice of words. Alyss hardly seemed the type to run.

"Well sir, she has it in her head that if she dies, the other killings will stop." Alfred chuckled blackly. "Much like another man I know." Bruce ignored his comment and focused on the way that Alyss walked, her shoulders hunched with her obvious burden.

"What's my alibi for her being here?" Bruce asked his tone subdued as he let the others gain distance between them.

"Well sir, we have the money, the technology, the connections to keep her safe… and of course the Batman… but I don't think others want to know about that last part, sir." Alfred smiled at the half amused, half aggravated look that was thrown his way.

"Why would Mr. Bruce Wayne be so kind though?" Bruce muttered, running his hands through his hair.

"The Wayne's have always prided themselves in taking care of their employees. You're just taking it to a new level." Alfred chuckled. "Of course, if people find out about this, outside of the circle of law enforcement that is, sir, then she'll just be another love interest that will soon leave." Bruce shuddered.

"I hate to think that her reputation is going to be trashed once this is over with." Bruce muttered under his breath, silencing his butler with a look as they reached the group of people. Drake had joined them, as well as Commissioner Gordan, and both were standing protectively close to Alyss, their faces grave. It didn't take a genius to guess that both men cared about her, past the point of simple police and victim.

"Which room is she going to be sleeping in?" Gordan asked his steady gaze letting Bruce know that there was still no way that he would ever become a crooked cop. His morals still stood strong. Bruce looked down at Alyss, noticing her slight blush as she looked at the ground. Bruce smiled, remembering that morning.

"Whichever one she feels most comfortable in. This morning she was found asleep in the kitchen, so I suppose that would do." Bruce laughed with Drake as they both saw her glance up with a twisted smile.

"The guest bedroom is fine, thank you." She politely replied. As two cops walked away to check out the room, she began walking back to the living room, a trail of officers following her.

"I'll just get them something to drink, sir." Alfred announced before turning to leave. Bruce turned and walked away as well, but he didn't have drinks in mind. No, it was time to change his identity, like he did every night.

It was becoming much harder to do so, every time he did.

* * *

The Joker was shuffling his cards, the different types of jokers on them amusing him. He had gotten these cards customized personally, and it was his favorite deck. The bleak room he was in gave minimal light, but he could still see. In the asylum, they liked to dip you in pitch black darkness for hours, trying to see how subjects reacted to it.

"Hi- ho… hi- ho… it's off to work we go…" He was singing softly under his breath, his gravely tones echoing in the nearly empty room. There was suddenly a knocking on the door, before he could give permission to enter; Ivy stomped in, her face red with anger.

"Your plan failed." He informed her in a sing-song voice. Ivy cocked her hip and glared, an eyebrow raised.

"If you're the mastermind behind it, why didn't you stop me?" She snapped, anger blazing behind her green eyes.

"To teach a lab rat… scientists let them suffer… negative reinforcement. So then… the rat doesn't do it again so that it won't suffer pain. The scientist rewards them. That's… well, that's what they'd call positive reinforcement." He grinned as he looked up at her condescendingly.

"So you think you're something of a scientist?" Ivy couldn't believe how arrogant the mad man was.

"No, no, no, no, no… sweet cheeks, I couldn't be a white coat. Though the color looks good on me…" He licked his lips and grinned. "They have too many rules… and you know my take on rules."

Ivy sighed, nodding slowly. "They were made by people who fear chaos and what would happen without order. What does this have to do with anything?"

"The problem with you, Ivy, is that you follow the rules too much. You can't, uh, seem to break out of this little box the public has put you in. You're all washed up! A cliché villain." The Joker lounged back in his chair, shuffling the joker deck with ease.

"So what do you want me for if I'm so washed up?" Ivy snapped, her face clouding with anger.

"Because a broken wheel can still be fixed." The Joker giggled.

"You're insane!" Ivy laughed, trying to gain her pride back.  
"Maybe so… but I've got style. Go anywhere within a thousand mile radius of Gotham and the people know who I am. I'm a new class of evil. And I'm good at what I do."

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**Ah, the aftermath of these things are always boring. The action scene is so much fun to write, but the winding down part is so… not. Anywho, tell me what you think!! **


	13. Thunder

**Ok, so this took a couple of hours, so there's not much to say but review you hoes!!**

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_**Tenth Day**_

_She held the papers, the thin white sheets baffling her slightly. All of this trouble, just for a few sheets of thin paper? Her breath hitched as it finally hit her; she had them. All of this trouble, black mail, and violence now made sense. She had them. Forget the danger, forget the people. She had gotten the one thing she wanted, and she felt like jumping for joy. She reigned in the desire though, her face torn between laughter and seriousness.- _

_Batman lunged across room, knocking The Joker out. Wait a second, that wasn't true… that was somewhere else…-_

_She was at the police station, staring at her parent's pictures, trying not to cry. Next to their pictures were her brothers, their still faces peaceful, never to smile again. Next to her brothers was Bekka, her face serene with kindness. Well, half of it. The other half was burned, blackened, and charred black from the flames.- _

_It was dark and putrid, the narrows. People were all around her, bleeding and lifeless. The images of dead people swirled around her, their lifeless eyes mocking her, demanding why she didn't say a word. Why was she silent? There were no ties to anything, there were no kindness in that man's eyes. What was she doing? Why was she letting them die, those eyes seemed to scream. And then she found herself screaming too, her shrieks blending in with theirs.-_

_"Yes…" She whispered gleefully, staring at the name that was printed boldly across the paper. _

"NO!" Alyss shrieked, her voice drowned out by the crackling thunder that mocked her nightmare. Rain rushed against her windows, the loud thumping noise startling her. She thrashed against the thick covers, finally falling off of her bed and onto her knees. Her back ached and protested with her crazed movements. Lightening flashed outside, the light blinding her, but she merely blinked, the battle raging now inside of her, not the outside. Standing up, she straightened her tangled pajamas, the pants hindering movement because they were wrapped so tightly. Grabbing her smaller blanket, she walked out.

Padding down the hall slowly, Alyss resisted the urge to jump whenever the thunder shook the penthouse. It had always been her weakness; she was terrified of thunder. Reaching the kitchen, she passed it, deciding that snickers weren't going to help her. The living room was also a no- go because of the large windows that broadcasted the storm raging outside. As she began to walk past though, she realized that almost every room in the house had windows. Wherever she went, she would be tormented. Deciding that the couch seemed more comfortable, she sat down on it, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders more securely.

She couldn't believe what she was doing. Why was she keeping it a secret? Why was she protecting that, of all things? There wasn't a justifiable reason, there wasn't a cause. It was as if she had worked so long for it, she couldn't let it go. It was killing everyone around her; it was eating her alive. But like a parasite that attached itself to her brain, she couldn't let it go.

She wasn't sure how much more she could endure before she went crazy. Did something like this happen to The Joker? Was he so emotionally drained that he lost his mind? She sighed and then jumped as lightening illuminated throughout the room, the thunder quick to retort with a crack like a whip.

"I'm guessing you don't like storms." Someone stated blithely behind her, causing her to jump again. She could tell from the voice that it was Bruce, and for once she didn't really mind that he was there. She needed someone to talk to.

"Terrified, actually." Alyss agreed, scooting over so he could sit down too. She put on an easy smile, but he seemed to be frowning about it.

"You don't have to smile you know." He told her softly, his stare unreadable. Alyss raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Alyss asked, pretending to be baffled.

"You don't have to act like you're ok." He reiterated.

"But I'm fine." Alyss was telling herself more than him. It was like if she repeated the thought enough, it would become a fact.

"Alfred said you tried to leave." Ah, so he had heard about that.

"I have my reasons. He's killing everyone associated with me left and right. Sooner or later he'll get you too, just for being a good citizen." Alyss pointed out, half serious, half mocking.

"I have good luck with death." His tone turned droll, ironic.

"So I've heard." Alyss muttered, remembering his parents. She jumped again when a rumble of thunder echoed in the room, causing Bruce to laugh. Glaring, she snuggled deeper in her blankets, muttering.

"I don't think it's funny." She grumbled.

"A mass murderer is after you, and you're scared of thunder?" Bruce grinned and raised his hands in defense as she turned her glare to him. "Just saying."

"And I'm just saying that it's not funny." She murmured under her breath. There was a moment of silence as Bruce lounged on the couch, almost uncomfortably close to her.

"You know, the offer still stands." Bruce looked over drolly, his eyes sparkling. "I stand by the fact that my room is more comfortable." Alyss turned a bright red, her eyes wide. She had never been one to have a fling with any random guy, let alone someone like him. The fact that he was insinuating something like that was appalling.

"Do you really think I'm that kind of girl?" She snapped, slightly hurt at the fact he would think something like that. Bruce looked at her, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then, a look of understanding took over.

"I didn't mean it like that." At her scoffing, he continued. "Misery loves company… fear too. That's all I'm saying. You're not the type of girl to make that offer to anyway. You respect yourself, why would I disrespect you with something like that?" There was an awkward silence at that, and Alyss looked away, anger abashed. Now, she felt kind of ashamed.

"Oh… well, I'm sorry then… for assuming." She felt her face heat up, and then she felt soft, cool hands tilting her chin up, dark blue eyes boring into her light blue ones.

"From my reputation, it's easy to assume." He chuckled, his face laughing but his eyes were serious. Alyss frowned at the paradox on his face. A laughing frown adorned his gaze, and she couldn't tell if he meant to show both. It was like he was torn between being two different people. For some reason, it made tears come to her eyes, as if it personally affected her that he seemed to be waging an inner battle. Maybe it was because she was waging one too.

Alyss felt herself being pulled closer, strong arms wrapping around her. She curled up against his strong frame, letting raw grief consume her. She felt herself shaking, and she felt cool hands caress her hair, their trail somehow leaving scorch marks to her. She felt the pain from holding back tears in the back of her throat, and she could almost feel the concern rippling off of the man showing her so much kindness.

Feeling; that's all she could do.

"You don't have to hide what you really feel." Bruce whispered in her ear, holding her closer, and for some reason, Alyss appreciated that. He didn't whisper words of condolences; he didn't lie and say it would be alright. He allowed her to wallow in grief, he allowed her to confront her raw wounds.

He allowed her to feel.

Alyss couldn't tell how long he held her, rocking her slowly like a child. All she knew is that it was a haunting rhythm, and she was lulled by it. Looking up, she saw that his eyes were glazed with pain, his face pulled into a grimace as he stared off into space.

"Thank you." Alyss whispered, wanting to pull him away from the edge he seemed so close to. Bruce glanced down sharply, but his features softened as he stared.

"It's not a problem. If you ever get scared of storms again, you know where to come." Bruce smiled, a real smile, and held onto her a little more, as if to say he wasn't letting go now.

The next morning, the two could be found intertwined in each others arms on the living room couch.

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**Yeah, fluff and contemplation was the theme. That's all that went on, really. So, I don't mind if you hate it. Flame me if you dare!!  
**


	14. Little Red Riding Hood

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**Ah, thanks to my two reviewers. You brought a smile to my face, really. Well, this had got to be one of my favorite chapters. So, read it, hoes. Haha, just kidding. **

**Oh yeah, and I'm going to be making a sequel as well. Whoo hoo. I'm also working on one called, Simon Says, so if you're bored, check that out too. **

**Yeah...**

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_**Eleventh Day**_

Alyss turned over, a blackness still covering her. It wasn't a dream, but it still clung to her like a fog on her mind. She found that for some reason, she couldn't move too well. Something consumed her torso all around, hindering rolling over or arm movement.

Opening her eyes slowly, Alyss froze as she realized what was holding onto her so securely. Bruce Wayne's arms were wrapped around her, holding her close. Normally, Alyss would have wrestled herself away, but as she looked up at his face, she stopped. His normally smug face was calm, serene. He seemed totally at peace, at least for a little while. Alyss shook her head, noticing the way that he always seemed to be battling himself. There was more to him than just a simple rich boy. She was sure of that.

But where to start to figure it out? He was obviously hiding something, and she wanted to figure it out. Alyss stopped her train of thought right then and there. What was with her? Would she always delve into mysteries without actually thinking of the consequences? When would she learn that it wasn't worth it?

She was scared to find that she didn't know.

* * *

A little girl was skipping down the ally, her giggles echoing even through the murky mud. She was dressed up like a pretty princess, so her mother had said, and she was on her way to her grandmother's house.

"Into the woods to bring some bread to granny who is sick in bed…" She laughed and her bright eyes stared past the muck and grime. She was rehearsing for the play, Into the Woods, and she was little red riding hood. She had always loved that part; the girl got to be a brat and still live at the end of the story.

Turning the corner, the little girl stopped skipping to stop from running into a very strange man. He was tall, but he hunkered his shoulders over like he was trying to make himself seem smaller. His clothes were funny looking, almost like he was trying to act grown up but in a childish kind of way. The little girl giggled. He looked silly.

"Something funny?" A humorous voice asked, and the man turned to face her fully, much to the girl's amusement. She giggled at how he wore paint on his face, smeared all over in random splashes. His hair looked like he had washed it in green paint, and it was stringy, like her dog, Pluto.

"You." She told him simply. She laughed again as he cracked a funny looking smile, it stretching from ear to ear. Peering closer, she realized that it was cuts that made his smile seem so lopsided. His teeth were yellow, and she shook her head slowly. Her mother would be very upset if she had ever looked so funny.

"I'm… humorous to you? How delightful." The funny man leaned down, one knee in the puddle of mud. The little girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. He smelled funny, which made her laugh a little more. This man was sure dirty!

"Why?" She asked, jutting her chin out boldly.

"Because… I live to make others smile." He cracked the funny looking smile again, and it was then that the little girl began to feel uneasy. She recognized his face from a TV one day; her mommy had said to stay away. But he didn't seem scary… just weird.

"I have to go." She stated, stepping to the side to walk past. Her little legs only got her so far though; he caught up easily.

"Now, now, now… let's not be… hasty. Where are you off to, little girl?" The man came down to her level.

"To my grandmothers." She stated firmly, stepping around him again. The man frowned, the action looking funny because of his red smeared makeup. The little girl poked his strange grin, her eyebrows bunched together. "You can't come."

"Oh? Why not? I want to meet grandma." The man exposed his teeth, making the girl laugh again.

"Why do you look funny?" She asked, poking his scars again. The flesh felt strange, almost dead. A small smear of makeup came off from her touching it, and she wiped it angrily on her clothes.

"Me? Why do you look funny?" He poked her under her chin, making her giggle.

"I'm dressed up for the play." She poked her chest out proudly. The man fell back comically, his eyes wide is surprise. He was certainly silly!

"What play?" He asked, seemingly interested.

"Into the Woods!" She exclaimed. Holding up her little cloak, she showed him the blood red color. "I'm little red riding hood!"

"Really now… that's… well, that's interesting. I loved that play." The funny man leaned in closer to whisper, "I loved the wolf." The little girl giggled incredulously, her wide blue eyes showing shock.

"Why?" She asked, still giggling. The man stood up, but he kept a firm hand on her shoulder, suddenly making the little girl feel uneasy again.

"That wolf and I… well, we could relate." The man pushed her against the wall, and the little girl knew that she was in big trouble. He leaned close to her face so that she could see every detail of his silly scars and makeup. "The only difference between me and him? I live in the end."

"And what about little red?" The girl squeaked, only wanting to go to her grandma's house. The man seemed to contemplate it for a second before he laughed a bone chilling laugh.

"Little red riding hood… well, let's just say she won't be in the sequel."

* * *

Gordan shook his head, feeling foolish. He didn't know why he was still working; he knew he would never finish. Being Commissioner had its downfall after all. Looking up, he jumped when he saw Batman in front of him; the shadows on his face making him look more menacing than usual.

"How's the hunt?" Gordan asked, settling farther into his chair. The man moved towards the window, his jaw clenched as he stared out of it. Gordan knew he had something to say, but he waited anyway.

"He got another girl today… a little girl. She was found in an ally." Gordan started talking again, at least to make an ice breaker. He may like the Batman, but he was still unsure of what to say to him sometimes. He felt like a friend, but don't friends usually stop by with a pie on Thanksgiving, whereas Batman showed up randomly, throwing criminals at his feet like a dog who had finally found the stick thrown into the woods.

"How's the other girl holding up?" Batman asked, his gravel tones more like a rumble.

"Good… she's with Wayne. The man helps a lot, despite what the tabloids say." Gordan shuffled a few papers.

"He's a rich, pampered boy. Can you trust him?" Batman was still looking out of the window, his back to Gordan. In a way, that made Gordan feel like at least Batman trusted him to keep his back to him.

"He is pampered, yes… but he's not all he says." Gordan laughed. "I think he's a whole new man when people aren't watching." Batman didn't move, didn't twitch. Gordan sighed. "Why do you want to know?"

"That girl is the key to getting The Joker. If she's with someone who'll hand her over to him, I'll never get that mad man." Batman clenched his fists and turned back, his dark eyes boring into Gordan's. "Would you trust him with your life?"

"I would." Gordan stated without blinking an eye. Batman seemed satisfied, and turned to leave.

"Are you running out of ideas, Batman?" Gordan asked, feeling foolish. Batman stopped.

"What?" He asked, clearly dumbfounded.

"You're just like us with this. You don't know how to approach The Joker this time." Gordan felt like he was babbling, but at Batman's continued silence, he carried on. "He's acting different. He just came out with bombs and knives flying last time, but now he's quiet. You're just as uneasy as we are, am I right?" There was a dead silence as Batman weighed his words.

"I am." He finally agreed. "How do you catch something you can't see?" Gordan laughed, noticing how that statement applied to both of Gotham's most feared. Gordan turned away, knowing that when he looked back Batman would be gone.

Sighing, he looked over the file of Bruce Wayne. The picture was one of seriousness as he stared at the camera with cool eyes and a smirk playing about his face. Wrapped around him, a young woman held on to him, her face one of adoration as she looked up at him. Gordan had to laugh; the woman was obviously a new one. The others knew that he would never return their affection. He was bound to a woman he would never see again.

The reports were simple when it came to Bruce Wayne. There were no traffic tickets; there was no point in bothering him with meaningless things. The only "major" report would be the one where a truck ran into his car when he was "simply trying to make the red light". Of course, Gordan had his doubts about that. The way the billionaire had looked up at him when he climbed out of his car seemed to say, _I fooled you_. He seemed to hide his triumph under a false pain and ignorance.

Yes, Bruce Wayne had something to hide. Gordan trusted him enough though, to not want to find out.

* * *

Alyss crept out of the penthouse, her face drawn as she slid silently down the hall. So far, no one had thought to check if she was wandering out of the house, but she wasn't going to wait to find out.

She couldn't stay there; she knew it wouldn't help. They could guard her all they wanted, but it didn't mean it would aid anyone. They may get her away from that lunatic, but they couldn't get her away from herself. And right now, that was the person she feared the most.

As she stepped outside, the night air greeted her with gentle caresses of cool air. She turned to the left, letting her feet carry her down familiar streets. People drove past in cars slowly, but something about her must have kept them from stopping. She was on a mission, and she would almost kill to get it done. As she turned another street corner, she stopped when she saw the person she needed to see. They were hunched over, like they were bearing a difficult burden, and she had to agree. She was bearing it too.

"Hey." She called out softly, her body tense, wary. Sariah turned and looked at her, not really seeing her. It was like she was merely going about the motions of simple human instinct. Walking over, Alyss stood next to her friend, caution her every being. She knew Sariah would probably ask her to leave and never come back, but she hoped that it wouldn't be like that.

"You know… you never think that it would happen." Sariah's voice was quiet, subdued. Her arms were crossed, a difficult task considering the thick cast. "You want to think that something so out of the ordinary would never occur to someone like you… but then it does." Turning to face Alyss, Sariah continued. "And you don't know what to do. You want to scream… you want to shout… but you can't. You know it won't help, but it feels like it would." Tears began to fall, and Alyss reached out to hug her friend, but she moved away, her face bleak.

"Don't touch me, please." She whispered, her voice cracking. "I- I just can't do this, Alyss. I thought it was going to be merely a bump in the road, but now it's a chasm. My little sister is gone… and I can't have her back."

"Sariah, I know… I'm so sorry. If I had known things like this would have happened, I would ha-"

"You can't stop things like this, Alyss! What, you would have gone in the car and left us out there so she would have lived?!" Sariah laughed hollowly. "I don't think so."

"I would have thought of something!" Alyss cried, feeling herself caving a little. She needed to keep it together.

"Yeah, I thought of something too." Sariah said, more tears falling. Alyss frowned, not really understanding the look on her friend's face.

"What do you mean?" She asked, warning signs going off in her head. It was then that someone grabbed her by her hair, jerking her back. Pain exploded on her head as she was dragged backwards, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth. Wildly she looked around, trying to find something to help her but even with all of her struggling, she could find nothing.

The last thing she saw before she blacked out was Sariah's face, tears falling as she cried out, "You promised you wouldn't hurt her!"

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**Uh oh... someone's in trouble. The Joker got hold of that chick. Review!! The more reviews, the faster I'll update!!**

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	15. Sliver of Grief

**Wow, I got a lot of reviews this time. You guys rock my world. Ah, and if it seemed too dark to kill Bekka, I'm sorry. It was her or kill off the main character, and I couldn't do that. Also, this story is an adventure crime story... so, it's not going to be predominately fluff. Sorry... Anywho, nothing else to say, but R&R.**

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_**Twelfth Day**_

Bruce walked into his penthouse, worn out. His scour of the city had been basically pointless. He had run into three more people that he had once locked behind the walls of the asylum, and none had any substantial information as to what The Joker was planning. All the while, his thoughts kept straying to Alyss. That girl was beginning to grow on him, and he didn't like it. He couldn't like it, not when the other thoughts were of a totally different girl. That battle between past and present was going to drive him mad, if The Joker didn't do the trick.

Alfred was at the door when he walked in, and judging from the face torn between worry and weariness, Bruce knew something was wrong. Passing his coat to Alfred, he asked calmly, "What happened?" Alfred sighed, shook his head, and followed Bruce down the hall where half a dozen cops awaited them. They were all in different manners of distress, the two most prominent being Gordan's look of shock and Drake's look of utter rage.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked calmly again, agitation coming up. No one appeared to be listening to him, and it was annoying. Nothing could be done unless he knew what was wrong!

"How could this happen?"

"Weren't you on guard?"

"I say Bruce is behind this!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"People, people, that's enough!" Gordan stood up, bristling with anger. "We're going to get to the bottom of this, but we need to stay calm." Turning to Bruce, Gordan continued. "Alyss is gone. We've tried locating her, but we have no idea as to where she could be." Bruce nodded dumbly, feeling a numbing sensation beginning to build. It was like someone had sucker punched him, and he had a feeling like he was falling. Glancing down, he saw that he was still standing, but he didn't know for how long.

It was like Rachel dying all over again.

"How long ago?" Was all he could manage to ask.

"Since late in the evening, very early morning." Drake muttered, his face drawn. Bruce could tell Drake also cared for her.

"What do you want me to do?" Bruce asked, trying to remain calm. He could feel anger starting to build in his gut, the feeling unquenchable. He knew who was to cause for this, and he knew he had to act now. Her life hung in the balance, and the only thing stopping it was time.

"Nothing right now. We don't know where to start, where to begin to look… we're totally clueless." Gordan shook his head.

"Who is she close to?" Bruce asked suddenly, his piercing gaze startling many out of their daze of shock that someone had taken her right from under their noses.

"What?" Drake asked.

"She just lost someone. Her best friend's little sister, right?" Bruce caught everyone's gaze. "She's probably with Sariah right now." Startled, Gordan instantly began shouting orders to men who took off to their equipment like bullets. The room was almost instantly cleared, and the moment it was, Bruce turned to Alfred, his desperate gaze unsettling his butler.

"She's not going to be with her." Bruce told him as they took off towards the opening to a smaller version of the bat cave.

"You're not suggesting that her own friend sold her out?" Alfred asked, not really trying to disagree. It made sense, after all. Bruce turned back to face his friend, his face grave.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. Alyss goes to her in confidence; her friend sells her to The Joker to make up for her sister's death." Bruce stepped into the room and was immediately throwing off his dress shirt, changing as quickly as possible. While Gordan and his men would be asking Sariah for questions, Batman would have a head start on getting The Joker.

And be one step ahead to saving Alyss.

* * *

Alyss felt her rise to consciousness before she actually came to. Her breathing was light and fast, her thoughts muggy. It was like being drug through quick sand. When pressure was applied, the liquid mixture took on a solid form, locking her mind in place. She had to let it slowly pull her up. When she did manage to open her eyes, she felt dizzy, disoriented. All that she could discern was that she was tied to a chair, her hands behind her back, her ankles tied to the front legs of the chair.

Alyss tested the tightness of the knots as calmly as she could, but only a handful of people could stay calm for so long. Soon enough, she began jerking on the knots, her squeaks and pipes of panic breaking through haggard, terrified breathing. Wild eyed, she stared around the dim room, seeing only a table, another chair, and stone walls. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a window, but it was barred, like someone had expected her to think about running away through it.

"Help me…" She whispered, sniffling. She wouldn't cry here; she refused to.

"Not likely, sweet cheeks." His low, oily voice made her snap her head into the gloom in front of her. Sitting in the chair across from her was the man that had helped haunt her dreams for the past couple of days. His sardonic grin was plastered across his face and the hollows of his eyes were darkened. She couldn't see much, but what she could see had her sickened. Still, she set her jaw and merely glared at him, fueling her hatred from her grief. She couldn't show weakness in front of someone who thrived off of it.

"Really, I expected better… haven't we had a discussion about frowning before?" The Joker smiled, eyebrows raised. "You can't expect to get on any good side with a glare like thaT." He smacked his lips with the letter T and grinned again.

"Who says I want to be on your good side?" Alyss snapped, spitting on the table in front of her.

"Who says I have a good side?" The Joker chuckled at the furious stare thrown in his direction. Alyss stared around; her eyes still wild as she tried to see anything other than what she knew was already there.

"Look… there's really nothing personal about this…" The Joker noticed that she wasn't paying attention to him, and he felt his temper mounting. When he was talking, people would listen, dammit! With a half silenced snarl, he drove his knife into the table, causing her to jump and stare, crazy eyed at the blade.

"That's better… now, as I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted…" The Joker ran his gloved hand over his chin thoughtfully as he watched her. He couldn't tell, but for some reason, he had a feeling it wasn't death she was worried about.

"What's the matter, doll face?" He crooned, finally catching her stare. He turned his neck to the side so she got a better glimpse of one set of scars before showing her the other. "You don't like my decoration for the evening?"

"Let me go." She hissed, desperation surfacing in her tone. Breathing deeply, she tried again. "I've nothing of value for you." She was lying through her teeth and both of them knew it.

"Sh, sh, sh, of courrrse not. I believe you…" The Joker cracked a grin. "NoT. You see, you could say that all you want… but then I'd have to call you a liar." He turned away, as if talking to someone else. "Why does everyone feel the need to lie to me?" He looked back and exposed his teeth. "I've not given them a reason to."

"What do I have that makes you want to kill me?" Alyss half yelled half shrieked. She knew she was about to crack, but it was growing harder to keep it together. The Joker kept his twisted smile in place.

"My identity."

* * *

His flight was sure, his breaths were deep and even. It was like he was a part of the air he flew on, and nothing could stop the instinct he had learned to have. The air current lifted him slightly before he dropped the magnets in the cape, causing him to plummet to the earth in a spiral. Flipping, he let himself land on the balls of his feet, the sound muffled to a dull thud.

He crept across the top of the roof, making sure where he put his feet, keeping his steps silent. He didn't have to worry about parents, they were gone. He knew that the cops had just left without a single clue as to where Alyss was. He also knew that when he saw Sariah, she would spill. You didn't have to push many buttons to break an already cracked case.

Slipping down the side of the house was easy; he flipped through the air like an acrobat, catching himself on the rails of the fire escape. When he reached the floor she was on, he waited until her back was turned before entering. As he slipped past the curtain, he kept his cape spread out so that when it went across the paneling it would sound like the ruffle of a curtain.

As the girl turned around, he had to put a firm hand against her mouth to stifle the scream that ripped through her lips. Pushing her gently backwards, Batman led her to a chair, setting her down in it. He kept his face neutral though he felt like strangling the girl.

"If I let go, will you stay quiet?" He growled, realizing that there was a new edge to his voice. Sariah nodded slowly, her eyes still wide. As he removed his hand, he saw to his dismay that she still looked like she was about to scream.

"You need to stay calm. I'm only here because your friend is missing." He tried simply stating facts. Time was of the essence, and he wasn't in the mood to coddle a girl that sold her best friend out.

"I-I-I… I don't know!" She positively wailed, burying her face in her arms. "They promised not to hurt her!! They told me i-it was her fault Bekka died!! It wasn't even Bekka they were after!" She peered up through her lashes, her eyes blood shot. "I didn't know they would hurt her!"

"Who are you talking about?" Batman asked, trying to keep the razor out of his mouth. Now wasn't the time to take his anger out.

"Th-Th-The Joker. And a man… in a green bowler hat." She sniffled and her shoulders shook. "They said I was the key to ending the violence." She began sobbing again, her pretty features distorted from the redness and puffiness from crying.

"Do you know where they took her?" Batman grabbed Sariah's shoulders and peered into her eyes. "In order to save her life, I need to know; where is she?"

"They didn't say!" Sariah wailed, her face bleak. Batman let her drop back into her chair, his temper rising.

"What did you tell the cops?" He asked, angry.

"N-nothing. They said not to mention it to the cops."

"You told me." Batman was walking away, his adrenaline pumping.

"You're not the cops." Sariah sounded bolder, still fragile, but a little more in control.

"No… I'm not."

"Hey, wait!" Batman turned to see the girl attempting to stand, her face set in determination. "If you get her out alive… can you tell her I'm sorry?"

"No… but you can."

In a rustle of dark wings, he was gone.

* * *

**Oh... snap. Nothing I can really say after that...**


	16. Firefly and Falcone

**You guys rock. There's nothing else I can add to that, haha. Well, I could say, you rock my socks off, but I'm not wearing any socks... so...**

**Just R&R, kk?**

* * *

_**Thirteenth Day**_

Time seemed to blend. It was like the lines between day and night had blurred, and it was hard to distinguish what time it was. Sure she could look out of the window and see if the sun was out, but that would waste time. Alyss was too busy trying to find a way to escape. It was like any distraction would take away from her thoughts. Looking up, she sighed as she realized she didn't know what to do. She had felt like it would be the right thing to turn herself over to The Joker, but now that she had, she felt foolish. Closing her eyes, Alyss held back the desire to cry.

There was a clatter as something was dropped on the table in front of her. Alyss opened her eyes to see a gloved hand setting a plate in front of her. Looking up, she saw that The Joker's face was still in its cruel, twisted grin.

"What, you feed the ones you're going to kill?" Alyss couldn't help but snap. The Joker laughed and pulled out his knife. Alyss flinched at the sight of it, much to the amusement of her captor.

"So scared of the actual object, Alyss deary, that you forget that the pain… comes from the one who holds it." He giggled and began cutting away at her binds, his face almost serene as he worked the blade. Once she could move one hand, she pulled it up, examining the cross marks of red blood from where the binds had cut in too deeply. Grabbing her wrists to lessen the pain when feeling returned to her hands, she leaned away from the food, not wanting to even think about it.

"It's not poisoned, though that is a good idea." The Joker reached down and pulled a cherry from the small pile of fruits. Smiling, he popped it in his mouth and ate it, keeping eye contact with her the entire time.

"I don't want to eat." Alyss folded her arms and glared up at the strange man before her, taking in every detail about him. She noticed how he seemed to dart his tongue out as he spoke, either making a statement or as if the paint that dried onto his lips made it harder to talk without them being moistened.

"You people… so willing to think that if you rebel... it will make a difference to me." He laughed. "So what if you don't eat? I, ah, I don't think anyone would mind the extra food… they're on limited supply. It might even look a little better if Batman came in to see you half starved." The Joker shrugged and sat down, crossing his legs like a twisted version of a gentleman. "So maybe it would be better if I said, 'don't eat, doll face'." Alyss glared at him while he smiled back, his dark eyes relaxed, amused.

"What do you mean, 'when Batman shows up'?" She asked, suspicious. The Joker fixed her with a droll stare.

"At first… I was going to kill you. But you evaded me, you sly little snake! So, why not play with my food before I eat it?" The Joker looked down at the table, his face amused as he carved little scratches into the wood with his knife. "I'm going to have the time of my life, gorgeous. And you're going to be the center of attention."

* * *

Batman leaned against the window of the warehouse, his face bleak. It was the day after she had been taken, and he was still in suit. He couldn't bear to go back to that other life, knowing that the more time spent there, the less chance he had of getting her back alive.

Slipping through the door next to the window, he silently found his way over to the large boxes of guns and other imports, most likely illegal.

"Is this the last of it?" The man was in a foul mood, it was easy to tell.

"I suppose so… all of the boxes are here. We don't cut deals when we're getting paid as generously as we are." The man speaking had a strangely garbled voice as he spoke, and it sounded vaguely familiar. Slipping past them, Batman stayed in the shadows as he reached another angle, the new perspective revealing the speakers.

"We all know how you operate. The Falcone family looks after their own. Your uncle may have died, but his treachery isn't myth." The Firefly smiled thinly as he walked past a large box labeled, 'handle with care'. His ginger hair flashed as the lights flickered. Batman grew rigid as he mentally counted how many of his old enemies had suddenly resurfaced the moment The Joker came back.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That may have been how my uncle operated, but I'm bringing back the business with a whole new light. No one, not even Batman, is getting a hold of me." The boy was young, only in his mid-twenties. His sandy hair was gelled back professionally, and his suit was tailored. It was apparent the rumor of a hidden account for the Falcone Family wasn't really a rumor.

"I'll see that when I believe it." The Firefly snapped. There was a moment of silence as the young Falcone's face darkened in anger. Clenching his fists, he ground out savagely, "If you're so quick to assume betrayal, then why do anything otherwise? Even if we proved ourselves loyal, you would find reasons to hate us and blame us. So, let's end this, now."

"Gladly." The Firefly snapped, his face turning into a mask of delight and anticipation. His fire thrower was suddenly in his arms.

"Enough." Ivy hissed, stepping between them. She dressed like a business professional, and it took Batman a moment to remember why she was there.

"But he-"

"Look, I don't care. You're both here for the exact same reason. Why don't you get along until this is over? The Joker is paying you both, why not just do your jobs, take your money, and leave?" Ivy crossed her arm, ever the angry teacher. Both boys nodded submissively, the power of persuasion on her lips from the plant toxins stopping them from doing anything else.

"I'll just leave my men to handle the cargo. Have The Joker call when he needs another favor." Turning around, the boy stalked off.

Batman followed, his breath quick with anticipation. He knew he was going to get something out of this confrontation; he was sure of it.

* * *

Tucker Falcone couldn't believe his luck. He had The Joker under his thumb. If he needed something, who would he go to? The one that not even the cops had gotten wind about. His business was run through the shadows, something his uncle had never thought to do. The Falcone family was too proud to smuggle and deal in the dark, but Tucker understood its importance. You had to start somewhere, why not start where they couldn't see?

Stepping through the doorway, he pulled his rain coat over his suit, not wanting anything getting on it. He would hate a stain to get on his very own Armani suit. The thing cost as much as a cheap car. As he walked smoothly down the sidewalk towards his car, he was surprised when something barreled into him, slamming him against the wall. The first thing he was aware of was the agony that sent fire crawling up his shoulder and arm, the pain bringing tears to his eyes.

* * *

Batman felt a sick sort of satisfaction at the groan of pain that Tucker Falcone gave as he smashed him against the wall. The boy was like a rag doll; he went limp almost instantly. Grabbing him by the shoulders, Batman held him up and shook him, making sure he was still conscious.

"Where's The Joker's hideout?" He roared, letting his anger steal over, almost like another persona. The boy's eyes widened in fear as he stared into the murderous eyes of the dark creature. He was blubbering, his eyes rolling in the back of his head as a strange burning feeling left his mind reeling.

"WHERE?" He slammed Tucker against the wall, the crunching sound causing the boy to cry out.

"H-h… he's at… a… off-office for… the warehouses." He panted, clenching his teeth to keep from crying. Batman dropped him, letting the boy crumple to the ground.

"Tell him I called." Batman growled before turning around to stalk back into the night.

* * *

The Joker leaned back in his chair as he watched Alyss try to pull in the panic that was slowly showing to the outside world. There was a camera in the room, so he got to sit in his chair at his little desk as he watched her fall to pieces. He had to congratulate himself, really. Here he was, planning on simply killing the wretch, but she had been amusing after all! She wasn't scared of dying, he guessed. She was scared of dying in vain. She wanted her death to mean something.

Well, it would mean something all right. Just not what she was thinking.

Laughing, he turned to look back at the security cameras positioned behind him. Such unneeded little devices, but it was funny to watch his men attempt to stab him in the back. Like he really cared if they stole a few guns from the weapons he ordered? Simple people were droll when they wanted to be. As if their lives really mattered.

"Like little bugs, just waiting to be picked off by a child with a magnifying glass..." He mused, kicking his feet up on the desk. Mayhem was clouding his mind, and he desperately wanted to cause it, but not now. Now, he was waiting for something, a trigger motion, if you will.

The trigger motion? Batman.

Yes, The Joker had heard about Tucker Falcone's "accident". The Joker felt a laugh bubbling up from his throat, letting it escape. He had his ways of finding things out, and he was happy to oblige those willing to cough it up. As long as it served him, he didn't mind his little busy bees stabbing each other to death.

It made him feel greedy knowing he could pick off the remains one by one, once this was over.

Standing up, The Joker could feel the need to let the chaos in his mind out. The constant reeling motion as memories tried to flicker through was giving him a headache from the suppressed thoughts. No, no, if someone had to suffer, it wasn't going to be him.

After all, it would be rude to deny his hostage some entertainment.

* * *

Alyss was pulling at the bars on the window, the quick, jerking motions rattling her bones, but she kept going, knowing that time was of the essence. The Joker had left her to her devices for most of the day, from what she could guess, but he was prone to random stops at her little cell.

"Come on…" Alyss ground out, jerking a little harder, letting a little desperation fuel her action.

"Oh, those… those aren't, ah, going anywhere, haha." The Joker informed her, and Alyss whirled around to see him inches behind her. How did he manage to sneak up on her like that all the time?!

"Get away from me, freak." Alyss tried to edge away, but he suddenly struck, his hand at her throat as he smiled toothily down at her. Alyss felt her eyes widen in shock.

"Now, I just don't understand." The Joker breathed into her ear, and she shivered disgustedly. "I've been most… gracious with my treatment of the likes of, a- a woman like you. And it breaks my hearT… to hear you say such, haha, awful things. I could do a number, a large number, of things that no one would hear abouT. You want to know why? Because you're going to die." The Joker gave a soft, gasping laugh that made Alyss clench her teeth and close her eyes as he put a rough hand on her waist.

"Get off of me!" She cried out, pulling her leg up and kicking him in the groin. The Joker gave a surprised laugh and fell to the ground, holding onto himself as he both laughed and moaned in pain. Rushing to the other side of the room, Alyss wrenched open the door and ran, rushing past concrete walls and closed doors. She was pumping her legs as fast as she could, her face set in determination as she saw the faint green glow of an exit sign. She let momentum carry her as she put on a burst of speed, adrenaline pumping along her blood stream, her heart beat in her ears as desperation made her wheeze for breath.

BAM! Something rushed past her and plugged her ear from sound, and as it cracked against the wall, Alyss realized someone was shooting at her. She willed her feet to go faster, pushing herself to breaking point as she drew closer to her destination. More gun shots rang out, and as she ran into the door, she pushed it open, relief washing over her as it flew open and granted her freedom.

But she wasn't safe yet. Looking around, all Alyss could see was warehouse after warehouse, the large buildings looming over her in the darkness. She must be at the docks, near the narrows.

Taking a left, Alyss burst into a jog, running away from the sound of water behind her. It was humid outside, like most nights in Gotham, and the perspiration clung to her skin, soaking into her clothes, but Alyss didn't care. She was past caring about things like that. As her ear suddenly popped, she picked up speed, adrenaline still rushing everywhere, willing her on.

"AALYSSS!!" The Joker's obnoxious voice rang out and she froze, knees locking into place at the sound of him.

"That was… that was entertaining. Really, I have to congradulaTe you… but I'll save it. You want to know why?" His voice was ringing out from the speaker system, surrounding her from every side.

"You're going to come back to me. And, and I'll tell you why." She could almost hear him lick his lips. "You see, I've got someone that… let's just say you might want to keep alive."

"Alyss?" The voice was scared and filled with unconcealed hysteria. "Alyss, help me!"

"Oh no…" Alyss whispered, turning around, as if she could see them right behind her.

He had gotten Sariah.

* * *

**Well... there's not much to say after that. So I'll let you guys tell me what you think.**

* * *


	17. I Call Dibs

**Warm pizza from the oven in like reviewers. I love them both. **

**So, what's she going to do? Read and Review, tell me what you think.**

* * *

_**Thirteenth Day**_

Alyss couldn't seem to run fast enough. She ran and ran and ran but she couldn't get to where she needed to be. The warehouses were mazes of bleak emptiness as she passed them, her desperation fueled by the laughter echoing around her from the speakers. It was a mocking laughter with an evil madness tingeing it like a stain.

She turned the next corner, trying to backtrack. Panic caused her to see things; she was sure someone was following her. Where was she going?

_What am I doing? I can't defeat him! I can't leave her. She sold me out! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!_

Alyss skidded to a stop, wheezing, her hands planted on her knees as she struggled to breathe. She could hardly focus enough to hear someone's almost silent footfalls, but when a shadow stretched out behind her, she whirled around, fists raised, an angry look in her eyes. She wasn't giving up; she knew that much.

"Easy, easy!" Batman caught her punches, and he pulled her close to prevent her kicking him or fighting back. When recognition registered in her eyes, she went half limp, falling against him. Backing up slightly, Batman went down on one knee and inspected her, noticing only minor injuries. The real problem was mental.

"Where is he?" He asked, his growl grating on her nerves. Alyss shook her head, feeling the adrenaline fading slowly, even though she knew she still needed it.

"I don't know. I'm looking for him… he has Sariah." She was talking with her hands, needing to do something.

"Not for long." He told her, standing up. Grabbing her by the waist, he lifted her up and shot his grappling hook into the night, bringing her with him. He couldn't just leave her there, knowing The Joker's thugs were crawling around the docks. They were suddenly appearing everywhere, their instincts telling them this was going to be big. Batman would make sure this was the last of The Joker.

Strapping her to his front, he jumped off of the large building, locking his wings into place. They soared above the buildings, following the speakers as they echoed the laughter of the man they both searched for. The lights were leading them to the main office, so with renowned vigor, Batman dove towards it, speed picking up. He knew he would land with no problem. He felt Alyss tense up, so he shouted above the wind, "Loosen up or you'll get hurt!

BAM! They landed with as much force as he could muster. Unstrapping her from his vest, he set her down, relief in the back of his mind as she stood there, unharmed. Dragging her by her elbow to the darkest corner, he set her down.

"Stay here." He growled before turning around and disappearing.

"Sure, sure, leave me here by myself." Alyss grumbled, standing up and grabbing a pipe. If there was going to be a fight, she would make sure she was a part of it. Hiding was not an option anymore.

* * *

The Joker calmed his laughter down, wiping his brow with a twisted grin as he turned back and looked at his new hostage. Luck would have it that The Riddler had drug her in, stating that she had called the cops moments after they had left her place. Yes, fate was in his hands now.

"Oh don't look so serious!" He crooned, still smiling. "She'll be back to keep you company… not for long, I'm afraid." The girl whimpered and tried to push herself farther up against the wall, which only provoked more giggles to rip from his lips.

"Really, you make this harder on yourself." He smirked. He turned his gaze into a pout as he stared at her, puppy dog eyes slightly hidden by the black paint around his eyes. "Every time I meet someone, they seem to make their problems bigger. If you'd only smile, just a little?? I'm sure that you'd see the, ah, the brighter side of things…" He couldn't keep the laughter back anymore, he fell back into his rolling chair, kicking his legs up, holding his sides for support.

"Ah, sometimes you feel like you're about to fall a part if you laugh too much." He told her, wiping a tear away.

"We can arrange something, I'm sure." Batman sent his hardest punch right into The Joker's gut, sending his chair spinning as he spat a half forced laugh out. As the chair crashed against the wall, he rose up, pulling his walkie talkie out of his pocket, spitting into the mouthpiece, "Ooooh boysss, we got company!" Before turning and jumping out of the window, landing with a loud thud on one of the crates. It was like it was a planned maneuver, like The Joker knew Batman would find him there.

"Stay here!" Batman growled to the whimpering girl in the corner. Not like she needed much persuasion. Springing after The Joker, he landed in a much more graceful manner on the same box. The Joker cackled and jumped down off of the box, egging Batman on.

"Come, come now, haven't you heard how to, ah, knock?" He teased, backing away slowly. His wheezing laughter made Batman spring into action, only to be thrown back by a net. Landing in a heap, Batman sliced his way out of the net, finding himself completely surrounded.

"My, my, someone knows how to pull in a crowd." The Joker informed him with a bloody smile.

* * *

Alyss rushed into the room to see her friend hiding in a corner. Her black hair hung about her face, and tears streaked down, marring her beauty. Rushing to her side Alyss checked for injury, noting that she could need a new cast; her old one was cracked.

"A-a-Alyss! I'm s-s-so sorry!!" She blubbered, throwing her arms around her friend. Alyss hugged her back awkwardly, unsure of what exactly to do. She wasn't angry with Sariah, but she knew her friend was in a fragile state. And the anger bubbling in her own gut told her to save the tearful makeup for later.

"It's ok." She told her, standing up, a glare etching onto her face. "Stay here, I'll be right back." Turning around, she saw the broken window and the scene below. It looked like Batman would need some help after all. Grabbing the phone by the desk, she calmly dialed 911.

"Hello, 911 emergency, how may I help you?" The businesslike woman startled Alyss. The calm order of the outside world seemed so strange to her now that everything was falling apart.

"I'm at the docks, and can you get Commissioner Gordan and SWAT team here? The Joker and multiple other extremely dangerous men are here. Batman is in trouble, and we have a situation with a now freed hostage. This is urgent and must be dealt with right now." She was surprised at how calm her voice was; the inside of her was close to eruption.

"Uh… uh, right away, who is this?"

But the line was already dead.

* * *

"You know, Batman, I just don't get you." The Joker cocked his head to the side, his grin still in place. "You hate me. But me? I love you." He giggled, much to a couple of his henchmen's disgust. Batman was in the grasp of The Riddler and Poison Ivy, vines wrapped securely around him, and a pointed question mark at his throat.

"You're sick." Batman spat, struggling against his bonds. Ivy dug her nails into his skin, trying to hold him back, but he managed to wrench one arm free to reach towards The Joker, as if to strangle him in mid-air.

"Ah, Batsy, Batsy, Batsy… you do amuse me." The Joker flicked an imaginary tear from his eye. "You have too much anger inside you… you don't see the brighter side of things. You're too serious. You focus on every death I've caused. They could put me in a helicopter and fly me up into the air and line up the bodies head to toe on the ground in delightful geometric patterns like an endless June Taylor dancers routine—and it would never be enough. No, I don't keep count of who I kill. But you do. And I love you for it." He grinned.

"And now… for the moment you've all been waiting for-"

"What's your point, hiring all of them? You only set out to kill one girl, and you bring in these creeps? Ivy, Scarecrow, The Riddler, The Penguin, Firefly, you bring the rise to the Falcone family again, what's the point?" The Joker looked a little confused for a second, as if he didn't know either. Shrugging, he pulled out his gun and smiled widely.

"Chaos doesn't always come with a bang, Batsy. In your case, it will." Grinning eagerly, he walked foreword, placing the gun to Batman's temple. Looking up at The Riddler, he said, "You have something on your mind." The Riddler returned The Joker's grin and asked, "Riddle me this, riddle me that, who's afraid of the big, black bat?"

"I can think of a few." Scarecrow muttered, his mask hiding the look on his face. The Joker laughed brightly before pulling the hammer back. It was like everyone's breath was bated as they waited for The Joker to deliver the final blow. As they all subconsciously leaned in, The Joker gave a bright laugh before pocketing the gun.

"Gotcha." He said with a smile.

"I thought you were going to kill him!" Ivy snarled, her green eyes dangerous as she glared murderously at The Joker.

"Ah, sweet cheeks, you thought wrong. Why throw away the perfect play toy?" Turning back, he grabbed Ivy's cheek and squeezed it, hard. "Batsy's mine."

"Yeah? Then I call dibs on you." Alyss hissed, pressing a gun to the back of The Joker's head.

* * *

**Oh, I love Alyss. She's always so... on top of things. Way to save the day girl... for now. Reviews? **


	18. Just Like Him

**Ok, so thanks so much for the reviews guys! Sorry I couldn't update yesterday, I'm at a friend's house so I've taken her computer in order to do so. So, here you go.**

**Reviews are like teddy bears; everyone wants one.**

* * *

Fourteenth Day

Batman sprung into action the moment everyone's attention was diverted. Grabbing his bat shaped knife, he sliced through his bonds and sent Ivy and The Riddler flying in opposite directions. People began yelling and rushing towards the only two people fighting against them, but suddenly police were everywhere, their yells and orders blurring with gun fire as The Joker's men fought back. The Joker had suddenly disappeared, much to Alyss's annoyance. She would end this tonight. Turning around, she dodged The Scarecrow, landing a punch to his mid section before disappearing into the night.

She could hear his howls of glee as he ran from the trouble, and she took off, his breathing ragged. She didn't know how long she could push herself, but she was going to find out.

"AAALyss… leaving the party sooooo soon?" He asked, laughing. Alyss picked up her pace, a stitch wearing into her side. Turning the corner, she saw The Joker climbing up the stairs as he disappeared onto a warehouse roof. Gritting her teeth, she followed. The rungs were slippery, but she managed to climb her way to the top and fall onto the roof.

The top was slippery from the mist from the bay, and she walked carefully. As she kept an alert eye for the deranged man, she kept her gun up, ready. She would keep both eyes open this time. Staying to the side of the wall, she edged around, and then jumped, seeing the empty top of the warehouse with dismay. As she was about to turn around, Alyss crumpled foreword as something slammed into the middle of her back. Landing in a heap, Alyss scrambled for her gun and came back up from her crouch, hand surprisingly steady. The Joker stood before her with a pipe in hand. His evil grin only fueled her desire to kill. It was almost as if she didn't feel her back burning in pain.

"Well, well, well… well. Isn't this a surprise? Here I was, expecting Batsy to come and get me when here little Alyss comes, a gun in hand. You never cease to amaze."

"This ends now." Alyss ground out, stepping closer. She wouldn't miss, this time. The Joker cracked a grin and suddenly lunged, causing Alyss to duck, rolling across the top of the roof with surprise. The gun skittered out of her hand and into the shadows.

"Oh but this is just the beginning." The Joker crooned, laughter consuming him. Alyss dodged another swing of the pipe and ran across the roof towards the general direction of her gun. As she grabbed it, she whirled around; pulling back the hammer and the pair of them froze, the barrel inches away from The Joker's face. His grin widened as he looked down the barrel and into Alyss's blazing eyes.

"Shoot me." He whispered, licking his lips in anticipation. Alyss let her breathing slow down as mist covered them both slowly. She knew she had to choose who to become, and the temptation was too great. She had to do it, if she didn't others would die. It was now, or never.

"Don't." A low growl rippled across the roof, and Alyss froze, her finger beginning to pull on the trigger. She didn't turn to stare; she wouldn't give The Joker any opportunity.

"Why not?" She asked loudly, her voice echoing.

"Don't be like him. It's what he wants you to do." Batman climbed up onto the roof and stealthily edged across to where she was. "If you do this, you're no better than he is."

"It will never end if I don't." She hissed angrily. "As long as he lives, you will always be plagued, and Gotham will always be in danger."

"Batsy never did want to break his one rule." The Joker told her, as if they were having a conversation about an unruly child.

"And I never will." Batman rumbled. Alyss chanced a glance at him to see him staring at her with dark, impenetrable eyes.

"Which is why I so delight in the little circle you create for us." The Joker grinned. "And I'm going to love the one you're making Alyss create."

"It's her choice. I don't want her to become like you."

"You fool... can't you see she already is?"

"No she isn't. This is her choice, and she'll be the one to decide."

"Ah, but we all know my dearest bat will take the gun away if she takes too long to think about it." The Joker giggled and turned his look to Batman. "You wanted to know, dear boy, why I'm wasting my time with her?" He glanced back at Alyss and licked his lips. "Besides the obvious fun this is… she has a little secret she's dying to tell you."

"No." Alyss whispered, her eyes suddenly going wide. The Joker's mouth curled into a leer that sent a shiver up her spine. If anyone knew that that's why he was after her, she would be finished. She would be locked away. Done for.

"Yes, sweet cheeks has kept something… from all of you. Such a crime… something I love about you." The Joker looked back at her, his dark eyes narrowing in amusement. "She knows who I really am, Batsy."

Batman froze from tackling the mad man before him. He looked at Alyss, who stood visibly trembling. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and her mouth hung open. Then, the moment passed and she was glaring with a look in her eyes that told Batman that she would shoot.

"NO!" He roared and launched himself between her and The Joker, but the Joker, seeing this as an opportunity, stabbed Batman in the chest. Batman fell heavily, and The Joker backed away from a very shocked Alyss.

"Sorry to cut our time short." The Joker grinned maliciously. "But I do have to run." Pulling something out of his jacket, his grin turned sadistic. "Here's a little goodbye present for your cops."

Pressing the button gleefully, The Joker watched as the warehouse the police were in exploded. Alyss screamed something indiscernible before she pointed the gun at The Joker and fired.

Blood spurted from his thigh as The Joker fell, laughing. Alyss rushed across the roof, adrenaline pumping to grab The Joker and rip the knife out of his other hand. His bleeding was minor, but it was obvious he wouldn't be moving anytime soon. His laughter was ragged, uneven. He would probably pass out from the pain.

"You didn't kill me." He wheezed out a laugh with his words. Alyss drug him across the roof with difficulty back to where Batman was. Grabbing the pair of cuffs off of his belt loop, Alyss cuffed The Joker and rolled him over so he wasn't facing Batman.

"And I never will." Alyss informed him. The Joker laughed weakly, his face torn between agony and amusement.

"Ah, what a little protégé Batman has made of you. This, beautiful, will be fun." The Joker giggled before suddenly going silent. Looking over, Alyss saw that he had only passed out. Cutting a strip from his jacket, Alyss made a tourniquet for his leg, and then turned back to Batman.

He was breathing, but only just. His mask was still intact, but a large crack had been made from between the points to the nose. Stumbling over, Alyss willed herself not to cry. She had done that.

"Please live." She whispered, grabbing his hands and holding them. She was staring at the crack. Curiosity getting the better of her, she traced the lining of it, unsurprised when the two pieces fell off of the mans' face altogether, revealing the man underneath.

"Bruce Wayne?" She gasped. Stumbling back, she stared at the almost serene expression on his face. The bat suit seemed strange on him, now that his face was exposed, and Alyss could almost cry. But now was not the time, she knew.

Searching through his belt, she found a small phone, and dialing it, she wasn't surprised to hear Alfred's voice on the other end.

"Yes, master Bruce?" The man asked.

"Alfred? It's Alyss." Alyss told him, almost laughing at the gasp of shock on the other end.

"Miss Alyss? Why, I-"

"Look, we need picked up before the cops find Bruce. How do we get out of here?"

"There's a device on his wrist. Press it, and the tumbler will reach you. Please hurry, Miss Alyss." The line went dead. Alyss found the small button with no problem, but she had to admit, the roar of an engine as the tumbler stopped for them below nearly made her piss her pants. Grabbing Batman by his shoulders, she dragged him to the edge of the roof where she clipped him to his rope, and attaching the other end to the roof, she lowered him to the back of the large and rather intimidating vehicle. Climbing down, Alyss dropped into the front, and as the top lowered over her, she found and pressed auto mode, finally collapsing against the leather seat as the tumbler revved up and sped off.

* * *

On the roof, The Joker shook his head and blinked away the moisture on his eyes. As he sensed where he still was, he cracked a grin. So they wanted to play like that? He rolled over, despite the fire burning in his leg to look back where Batsy had been. In his place, a cracked mask informed him of his suddenly bad luck.

But then, he grinned. So now she knew two secret identities? Ah, Alyss Brooks was full of surprises. This was almost as good as when he broke Harvey Dent of his white knight shell. No, he had to admit, this was better.

It would be a shame when he finally did choke the life out of her.

* * *

**Well... now she knows who he is. She just knows everyone's secrets, doesn't she.**

**See that button there? Push it.**


	19. Not Broken

**So, that was intense, huh? I know I kind of rushed it, but I was getting into typing it too much and had to go back to add details I got so excited, haha. **

**Reviews are like The Joker; everyone's secretly fascinated by him and secretly wants him.**

* * *

_**Fourteenth Day**_

Commissioner Gordan watched the flames rise up against the early morning black sky. It was about 1:00 in the morning, and he felt like it was afternoon. His men were dragging villain after villain out of the wreckage that the one warehouse once was, and it didn't look good. The people that were in the storehouse when it had exploded were either seriously burned or dead. Most of the fight, however, had moved to the outside of the building before it had exploded.

Still, eight of his men were dead now. Twenty were running throughout the docks, searching for any stragglers, and of course they were also keeping a look out for The Joker. Or the Batman. Or hell, even Alyss Brooks would be helpful. Gordan didn't know what he'd do if Alyss had been killed in this crossfire. She was too good of a person to lose.

"Sir," The walkie talkie at his hip was filled with static, but he heard the words clear enough, "Sir, we've found The Joker."

"Where?" Gordan asked, relieved. He didn't want to have to go back to the new, grouchy DA to tell him that they had lost the insane clown.

"On top of warehouse 13, cuffed and injured." The device squawked. Grabbing Drake, Gordan began walking quickly towards the 13th building, still on high alert. As he reached it, the lunatic was being shoved into medic van, laughter sending chills down Gordan's back.

"Wait!" Gordan called, picking up his pace into a jog. As he reached them, he told them, "I'll ride with him. Drake, follow me." Before he climbed in after The Joker. There was no way he was trusting the likes of the clown with simple medics. He would make mince-meat out of them.

"Ah, co-miss-ion-er." How wonderful for you to join me." The Joker winked, his leg propped up in front of him as the medic fearfully assessed the wound. The Joker didn't seem to mind the bloodied wound that distorted his leg, and as if to prove his point, he patted his leg slightly with cuffed hands. "Like my battle scar? This one's new."

"Someone tried to bandage it up." Drake whispered to Gordan. Nodding, Gordan noticed the bat sign on the lapel of The Joker's ruined outfit and smiled.

"It's not what you thinK." The Joker smacked his lips on the letter k. "It was that lovely wench that got me." The Joker giggled at the look of shock that crossed both cop's faces.

"You're saying Alyss Brooks shot you?" Drake asked, slightly horrified.

"Yes, give any 'sane' person a gun… and you'll see just how twisted they really are."

* * *

_**Fifteenth Day**_

_Alyss slipped down the hallway, the files hidden in her pants. She had slipped them down the side, and the paper scraped uncomfortably against her thigh. Still, she didn't complain. She merely kept moving. That's all she could do. As she slipped up the narrow stairway, her breath quickened when she reached the top. This was the hard part; getting out without getting caught. _

_As she peeked through the door, Alyss was relived to see that no one was standing there. Opening the door a little bit more, she had to admit she was slightly surprised to see that the entire hallway was empty, as if something had scared them off. _

_Shrugging, Alyss walked through the threshold and down the hallway calmly, her pace even. The only thing she worried about was small packet of paper chafing against her leg. _

_Besides, it's not like anything big had happened when she had disappeared. _

Alyss was fast asleep on the floor of the penthouse. She didn't toss and turn, she didn't cry out, she just slept, her back against the door to Bruce's room. Once they had gotten back, Alfred had met them at the doorway, his pained face letting Alyss know that there would be repercussions to her actions. She didn't care thought; she was too tired. The moment they had closed the door on her face, she had parked herself right in front of it, and promptly passed out. She hadn't realized that she was so tired.

As she sun shined through the windows down the hall, Alyss was startled out of her dream and back to reality. Well, it wasn't really a dream, more like a restful blackness as her body gained back the energy she had lost. Blinking like a startled doe, she stood up and stretched, gasping slightly at the sore muscles she had. Turning around, she opened the door, peeking in. It was to her surprise that he was awake, sitting up in his bed, and reading. At the sound of the door opening, he looked up, and seeing her, he cracked a smile. Hesitantly, Alyss opened the door more and walked in, sheepish.

"Commissioner Gordan called." Bruce informed her dryly, patting the bedside next to him. Setting on the edge of the bed, Alyss shook her head slowly.

"The phone didn't ring." She informed him.

"We had them put on silent so you could sleep." Bruce laughed easily at the look on her face.

"So I could sleep?" Alyss turned red at this. "What about you? You were stabbed!"

"I heal fast." Bruce replied with a shrug.

"You'd have to." Alyss mumbled, embarrassed. There was an awkward silence as Bruce coughed, and Alyss felt her face heat up more.

"I… I have to say that I haven't been… the most honest about this." Alyss started fiddling with her hands. "I'm sure I could have helped… but I didn't. I guess I was scared what would happen if I told anyone." She laughed hollowly. "Not like it helped, in the end."

"Alyss, you did what you thought was right. If you think about it, I wasn't so honest either." Bruce was trying to catch her gaze, but she was tactfully avoiding it.

"I'm… just too nosy for my own good." She confessed with a nervous laugh. "It was just last year, right before everything started, before people began to know and fear The Joker's name. My father had gotten into some strange things, you know how it is at Arkham. One time, he took me along to meet someone. While we were there, I saw a glimpse of The Joker. I saw him right before he killed the drug dealer my father was… meeting with. I think you know Gamble? Yeah... my dad was there when he 'died'.

After that, I became engrossed and almost obsessed with him. I followed him and snuck around, lying and cheating my way into record books, hospitals, any information on The Joker fell into my hands. It wasn't a lot, but one day I hit the jack pot." She took an unsteady breath and looked up at Bruce, her blue eyes saying something she couldn't. Bruce grabbed her hands and held them, trying to give some assemblance of support. If it helped, it didn't show; Alyss was in her own little world.

"… I followed him to a storage room in a basement of some hospital. In the room was a small box… and in that box was everything The Joker was, before The Joker came to be. It was like a dream come true." She laughed shakily. "I remember being so happy about finding it, that I didn't really notice that someone probably told him that someone had been down there. I had to look at it everyday that The Joker wreaked havoc and death upon Gotham, as if to remind me that before this... he was normal. He was human." Alyss shook her head. "If you need to know… who he is…" She took another deep breath and forced herself to spit out, "I'll tell you."

"Telling us who he was wouldn't help us with who he is now, Alyss." Bruce caught her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "It would have been good to know why he was after you, but now that he's gone, you don't need to worry about it. After everything you've been through, I think that's pay back enough, if you could call it that." There was a slightly awkward silence before Alyss spoke again.

"So... you're Batman." She mused, tracing patterns on the comforter of the bed. Bruce laughed, and the sound was obviously different from the tone he usually used.

"Yes... I am." Alyss looked back up at him and saw that there was no hesitation in his admittance.

"So... you saved me. A lot." She shook her head slowly, thinking back to how he had acted with the mask on, versus with it off. Her meetings with him now seemed strange, unreal.

"Yes... it's a part of the job description." Bruce laughed again. "Though you saved me too. You got The Joker when it counted the most."

"I shot him." Alyss muttered.

"Yeah, and saved me." Bruce replied without hesitation.

"And took off your mask." Alyss retorted.

"You did admit to being too nosy."

"What are you going to do with me now?" Alyss asked, feeling childish. She knew he would probably kick her out and leave her just as fast as he got her, but some part of her hoped he wouldn't. Along the way, she had begun to actually… like him. It was almost like now that she knew who he was... it made sense as to why he acted the way he did.

"Well… if you can keep an ally's secret just as well as an enemy's… I don't see why you can't stay." Bruce smiled, and for once, Alyss didn't see a face torn between the edge and safety. She didn't see a paradox lining the expression in his eyes. She saw honest to goodness happiness.

And that was good enough for her.

* * *

Bruce couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he dressed himself in his large closet. On his bed was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, and she wanted to stay with him. With him! Of all people, she wanted him. He hadn't felt this good since… well, a very long time.

Of course he still missed Rachel, but the burning feeling he had for Alyss couldn't be denied. He couldn't force himself to stop moving to the future because of the past.

And Alyss had shown him why, whether she realized it or not. As he finished tying his tie, he stepped from the closet to pick her up and whirl her around, setting her down softly on the plush carpet before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"I think we belong together." He informed her, letting the rash side of him win over for once. Alyss blushed and flicked her blond hair out of her eyes before smiling brightly, her blue eyes flashing.

"I think so too." She replied.

* * *

In the stronghold of the Arkham Asylum, The Joker burst into laughter as he fell back onto his chair, kicking his feet out. The psychologists here thought they could cure something like him? They thought he was fixable?

"Some people just don't want to learn." He mused as he giggled. "You can't fix something that's not broken."

* * *

**There's still another chapter and an epilogue left, hold your horses! Review, and I'll update. You know you want to.  
**


	20. Harley Quinn

**So thanks so much for your reviews! Yes, we have this and an epilogue left, but I have good news! I'm doing a sequel!**

**reviews are like ice cream. Good on a hot day. And in my state? It's hot.**

* * *

_**Eighteenth Day**_

Alyss was in one of Bruce's sports cars, relishing in the feel of the leather she was sitting on, and the hand holding hers tightly. She had never felt so lucky to be alive, or to be herself. She was saved, she was safe, and she was loved. They were on their way to the Arkham Asylum, where they needed to approve the psychiatrist who wanted to be the one to observe The Joker.

Alyss hoped she didn't have to see that mad man again. The night before, she had woken up with a cold sweat, surprised to see Bruce gone, but at the same time not. Going out with a wanted vigilante was going to take some getting used to. She didn't mind though. She had seen the wonders he could unravel as Batman, Mr. Wayne, and Bruce. Because really, he was three different people. He was Batman, the savior of an unthankful city; he was Mr. Wayne, the now settling down billionaire playboy who ran Wayne Enterprises, and he was Bruce, a loving, caring man who had wit, humor, and tenderness.

The past couple of days had been some of slight embarrassment, considering the fact that she still felt guilty for treating him like the jerk she had supposed him to be. She especially felt guilty for the whole, "you ran away when you could have helped" shpeel she had made him go through after she had first met The Joker and he had tried to kill her. He refused to let her get through a whole apology though because he said it was justified, considering that she didn't know who he was.

"You can back out any time you want to." Bruce startled her out of her thoughts and she had to laugh.

"Dream on, pretty boy. You want me to leave that badly?" She teased him, laughing.

"No, I really don't. But, it is hard… being who I am. Being together with someone I have to be." He looked over at her and smiled sheepishly. Was this seriously the guy Alyss knew a week ago? What was with the hesitation?

"Look, I know it will be hard. But I'm willing to try." She said with a grin. She couldn't believe all he had gone through, all he was willing to go through. It was simply amazing. He was simply amazing.

"I know… I'm just surprised. When R… Rachel found out who I was… she didn't want anything to do with it… hardly anything to do with me. I'm just used to the-"  
"Bruce Wayne…" Alyss shook her head and laughed. "Shut up."

Thinking back though, she couldn't believe how many people had died because of The Joker. This time, it had been a little bit smaller a number, but it was still a lot for her. The repressed emotions had nearly made her crash for a couple more days, but she knew that in order to move foreword, she wouldn't let it rule her. For her sake, she couldn't.

They pulled into the parking lot with ease, the people not even bothering to check their IDs. It's not like you could mimic money like Bruce Wayne's. As they walked up the stone steps, Bruce kept a hand at the small of her back, as if to say he would support her the whole way.

"Bruce Wayne… Alyss… what a pleasure." Commissioner Gordan greeted them, along with Drake. Alyss was happy to see that Drake didn't seem angry at Bruce even though it was obvious they were together. He was friendly, sociable, but still the ever alert cop she knew him to be.

"Commissioner Gordan." Alyss gave him a hug, feeling like he was a father figure to her. Gordan smiled down at her and winked before his face turned solemn.

"They've given him three different ones already, but they've all stormed out, raving like lunatics, or angry that they had been put up to trying to help him. There's one volunteer who says she's up to the challenge, but I want you two to be comfortable with whom it is first." Gordan waved them along, and Drake followed behind, still watchful. It was strange to walk the halls her father had walked. Was he standing right here when he died? She wondered silently. As if reading her thoughts, Bruce squeezed her hand for support.

"How have you been, Miss Brooks?" Drake asked, trying to ease her mind.

"Pretty good, and please just call me Alyss. How's the police station been? Too much paperwork?" She replied, relived that he could still talk to her.

"Busier than ever. Haven't seen a sign of that Batman though." Drake muttered the last part to himself, but Alyss replied anyway.

"You'd want to see him?" She asked, perturbed.

"Yeah… I have some things to say to him." Before Alyss could ask warily what he wanted to say, Gordan began speaking again.

"Miss Harleen Quinn. It's wonderful to meet you." Gordan smiled easily and held the hand of a very pretty, very calm looking woman. Her pretty blond hair was pulled back into a bun, and she wore a simple light colored button up shirt with a black skirt. Over her ensemble was a starched white coat that had glasses in the front pocket. She smiled easily at them.

"Pleased to meet you, all of you, but please, call me Harley; everyone does." She gushed, stepping forward and shaking hands with everyone. Her smile widened into one of excitement and Alyss detected a slightly hidden Jersey accent.

"You must be Alyss! Oh, it's wonderful to meet you. You're the one I want to ensure the most about this. If anyone deserves that, it's you." She smiled charmingly again before handing over a small packet of papers. "These are my credentials, my degrees, the previous psychiatrists I've had the pleasure to work with, and other boring information." She laughed and looked up at the others to see them frowning.

"Not that the degrees and such aren't helpful… Miss Quinn, don't you think that… he's a bit too big of a job?" Bruce was struggling to find the right words. "You seem like a nice woman… but-"

"You're wondering if because of my kindness, The Joker could manipulate me or turn me into another one of the people who became a case study as well." Harley didn't seem insulted at all.

"Sorry, but yes." Drake agreed, nodding vigorously.

"I understand your hesitation. You see, I can prove myself to be more helpful to The Joker case. The thing is, is that he's not a patient. He's different from the other inmates in Arkham. He knows exactly what he's doing, and he has control of his moods. He is another class of person, and he's not curable." Everyone stared at the suddenly changed woman. Her face was full of expression, but they were bland, not too over the top. She seemed to change thought processes too; the way she talked took away her jersey accent. "Other psychiatrists think he's curable, but he's what I personally call an unbroken human. Other patient's bodies know that there's something wrong, other patient's can feel that something isn't right. With The Joker, his body functions right, and the brain tests show that according to his mind, there is nothing wrong with the way he thinks. He just is." She linked arms with Alyss who was busy scanning the papers of people Harley had helped. "If you'll give me just one chance, I can show you what I'm made of." There was a stunned silence as everyone stared at her with shock. Her entire persona had changed. One was still skeptical though; he had seen things like this before.

"I don't think-" Gordan began.

"Let her do it." Gordan stopped talking to look over at Alyss, determination on her face. Bruce was also surprised.

"What? But Alyss, please-"

"If Alyss says yes, then let it happen. After all, this was put together for her." Bruce smiled down at Alyss to see her grin in return. Harley's face turned into one of sheer delight as she hugged Alyss, smiling the whole time.

* * *

Batman landed silently onto the top of the police station. It was just another night, nothing big happening, nothing small either. When he saw the bat signal flash on though, he knew something was up.

Walking up behind Gordan, Batman had to crack a quick smile when the old man said, "It's a bit windy outside for flying, don't you think?" even though he hadn't turned around. Gordan had to laugh, he was getting used to listening for things you couldn't hear.

"Yes." Batman agreed. There was a calm silence as both of them looked off over the city of Gotham.

"This place is riddled with horror… the people are corrupt and there's new evil rising everyday." Gordan commented, still watching the cars rush past.

"Then we'll simply have to come by the means of beating it back, every time." Batman noted.

"It will get harder." Gordan pointed out.

"So we fight back harder." Was the simple reply. Gordan cracked a smile and turned to look over at his masked friend. Shocked at how his mind had worded it. Gordan had to laugh. Yes, he did look at Batman as a friend.

"You'll never change." Gordan smiled.

"I don't plan to." There was soft laughter at this. Both Batman and Gordan turned to see Drake also standing on the roof with them, his hands in his pockets, and a smile on his face.

"Drake…" Gordan gave his employee a disapproving look. Batman shook his head though and let the young man come closer.

"I hated you." Drake commented lightly, staring up at The Dark Knight. "I really did hate you… and I wanted you behind bars."

"Drake…" Gordan was glancing over at Batman, but the man seemed totally fine with the conversation.

"Worse… I wanted you dead." Drake shook his head bitterly. "But now… the way I see things is so different. I- I want to thank you." There was a stunned silence as everyone stared at the youth who stood proudly, looking right into Batman's eyes, as if he could read everything there. "I want you to know that I'm proud to work beside you."

"You don't have to thank me." Batman told him, his growl lessened slightly.

"Yeah, I know. But I want to." Drake grinned and stuck out a hand. Batman grasped it tightly and shook it. Gordan smiled.

"What do you think of the psychiatrist who's taking over The Joker's case?" Gordan asked, knowing that Batman had probably already heard about it.

"She's going to have to be monitored." Batman turned and looked over, his face oddly bleak. "She's the type of person The Joker would crush up for breakfast."

"Or keep around for lunch." Drake agreed.

"We'll keep monitors around to watch. If anything fishy happens, we'll change it." Gordan announced to them, and both nodded in agreement. As Batman turned to leave, Gordan watched as Drake suddenly took after him, a question on his mind. Gordan turned away so Drake could ask it in private.

"Hey, Batman!" Drake called out, catching up with the masked man easily. Batman turned to stare down at him, an eyebrow raised.

"How do you feel about sidekicks?" He asked, trying to remain aloof. Batman's face turned into one of surprise, and it was a few moments of silence as he suddenly smiled the only way the masked vigilante could.

"We'll keep in touch."

* * *

Alyss walked into the hospital with Alfred, her face one of nervousness as she walked down the starch white halls with Alfred by her side. She wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen, but she knew things had to be done. She couldn't leave anything undone or unfixed. Alfred stayed by her side, his reassurance radiating off of him as he watched her with discreet eyes. Alyss had never appreciated him more.

"What did you do… when you heard what he wanted to do?" Alyss asked slowly as they turned a corner to view a whole row of doors. Alfred instantly knew what she was talking about.

"I was almost in too much of a version of shock to do anything, Miss Alyss. He had just returned from 'the dead' as I put it, so I was too happy to see him alive to really pass judgment. But as I thought about it, the better it seemed to me. He was giving back something he had had for a long time but couldn't bring himself to share." Alfred smiled as they stopped at room number 409.

"What was that?" Alyss asked.

"His humanity, Miss Alyss."

* * *

Alyss walked into the room alone, Alfred already guessing that she needed space. There were three beds in the room, but only one was occupied. She watched as the person in the bed flipped through channels slowly, their eyes not really taking in what they were watching. They sported a simple black cast, and their leg was wrapped up in gauze. A few cuts and nicks covered their face, but the most gruesome was a scar stretching from one side of the lip and down the cheek. As they turned to face Alyss, she noticed that there was no cut on the other side.

"Hey." Alyss said softly, her eyes watering at her friend's appearance. Her beauty was hid by the scar marring her smile on one side making her seem to be faintly smiling but also grimacing at the same time.

"Hey…" Sariah turned away from Alyss and kept her eyes trained on the TV, her lips trembling. Alyss walked over slowly, prepared to stop if Sariah told her to. Half of her wanted to run over and hug Sariah for all it was worth, but she understood that she needed to wait. Setting down the balloon and chocolates on the bedside table, she sat in the empty chair and tried to keep her eyes off of the grotesque scar stretching downwards.

"I brought you caramel chocolate… I know it's your favorite." Alyss muttered lamely, shrugging her shoulders uncomfortably in her jacket. Sariah gave a bitter laugh and then suddenly looked back at Alyss, tears falling down her face steadily.

"Why are you being nice to me?" She demanded, a frown appearing on both sides of her face. "I sell you out, I nearly get you murdered, I act like it's your fault B-B-Bekka died, and you're here, giving me chocolate and get well soon things!?" Alyss's eyes grew wide as Sariah shook her head back and forth, her raven black hair covering her face slightly before flying back. "I don't have the right to be here with someone like you Alyss… I won't even let my parents come in here." She laughed shakily. "I look like Two-Face." Alyss furrowed her brow, trying to think of who Two-Face was. Seeing her confusion, Sariah continued.

"You know… Harvey Dent. His face was burned off on one side, and he went mad, killing everyone." Sariah laughed bitterly. "Now you can only stand on one side of me to see if I'm laughing or not."

"How did you know that?" Was all Alyss could think to ask.

"My dad was one of the cops that went in after Gordan, who was held at gun point by Two-Face." Sariah shrugged nonchalantly. Alyss shook her head.

"You're not like that Sariah. You're my best friend, and you did what you did for a reason. What matters now is that we're here." Grabbing Sariah's hand, she plodded on. "I can't ask you to forgive me for your sister, but I can ask that we can still be friends." Sariah stared at her, her face distorted into shock. Alyss still held her hand, and she breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure of a hand squeeze was returned.

"I think we can manage."

* * *

"Why did you kill all of those people?"

"Why, Dr. Browning, why not?"

"Because it's wrong to."

"Who says?"

"It's a simple fact of humanity."

"What is humanity?"

"Let me ask the questions here."

"Why Doctor, I thought we were getting somewhere!"

"We're getting no where."

"You really think so? I feel like we're taking leaps and bounds."

"You're not as amusing as you like to think, Joker."

"Aw, Dr. Browning, what's with that frown? Put a smile on!"

* * *

**Ugh, I'm addicted. I can't help but add a little Joker at the end, though it wasn't a lot. Still, It's what I could do without overdoing it. **

**Now, you know what to do.  
**

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	21. An Epilogue of Sorts

**So, here's the end. Of book one, of course. I've gotta say, thanks sooo much for all of the support I've gotten from all of you, especially those of you who've reviewed each chapter and commented. You small handful know who you are!!**

**Thanks for the reviews, the author alerts, the story alerts, all that jazz. It's made me sooo happy to write here!  
I'll update with the sequel soon!! I'm already halfway through with it, so updates should be quick.**

**Reviews are my homeboys. ... something like that...**

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

It was here that screams crawled up the walls, begging to be released. It was here that fear was a lifestyle, not an emotion. It was here that sugar plums dancing 'round your head was a fact, and sedatives were common. It was here that grime and mildew became a part of the upholstery. It was here that murderers lurked and mad men roamed in padded cells and starched, white jackets. It was here that if you weren't quick, you were dead.

It was here that The Joker resided. It was here that he sat, twiddling his thumbs as he waited for the straight jacket. It was here that he plotted, his chaotic mind swirling with endless possibilities of ways to escape. It was here that he smiled, the Cheshire sneer curling up around his cheeks, stretching the scars around his red mouth. It was here that The Joker laughed.

They couldn't contain him for long. He could go in and out of the insane asylum like a man stuck in a revolving door, but he never stayed for long. They couldn't keep him here. Their backwards sense of "justice" kept him alive, and kept him well. No, they couldn't kill a man who didn't know what he was doing.

Oh, but The Joker did know. He knew exactly what he was doing as he rolled his eyes, glaring balefully at the bright white room. He knew what he was doing before he had even begun to murder; it was a part of him. It was like breathing air. There was no planning, there was no point. He just did it.

He just lived.

And no one, not even the cement walls he leaned against could stop him from living. Only one man could have the right to kill him, and it was the one man who never would.

The Joker let his smile widen as he suddenly began ramming his head against the cement wall, cackling. There was a red flashing light above the holding cell's door, and in rushed the orderlies, their faces set in determination. A large guard followed, a gun in hand as the blurs of white began struggling against him, their yells echoing around the nearly bare room. The Joker struggled, his face distorted into a satanic leer as he repeatedly slammed his head against the wall, not in a fit of insanity, but a fit of excitement.

_Yes,_ The Joker thought, _soon… very soon._

* * *

Dr. Harley Quinn smiled as she adjusted her glasses on the bride of her nose. She was being given the case of a lifetime, and she could hardly contain herself. Excitement made her laugh slightly before she turned on her professional attitude and opened the door in front of her.

"Well hello, beautiful."

* * *

**Ah, there you go. Yes, Harley will be in the next one. I've read a lot about her, so I'm pretty excited. Reviews are still welcome, haha.**


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